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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/explorationsinafOOingerich 


Dr.  David  Livingstone,  the  Great  Explorer. 


EXPLORATIONS 

IN 

.A  FR  I  C  ^L, 

BY 

DR.  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE, 

AND    OTHERS, 

GIVING  A  FULL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 

j^tkuley-I^ivii^tone 

EXPEDITION  OP  SEARCH, 

UNDER  THE   PATRONAGE   OF 

THE    NEW    YORK    "HERALD," 

A3    FURNISHED   BY 

Dr.  LIVINGSTONE  and  Mr.  STANLEY. 


With  a  Biographical  Sketch  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  the  great  Explorer  of  Africa, 

Mr.  Stanley,  the  celebrated  Traveller  for  the  "Herald,"  and  Others  (Dr. 

Barth,  Baker,  Barton,  Speke,  Die  Chaillu,  etc.,  J  connected  with 

Discoveries   in   Africa,  and   a  practical  epitome  of 

Historical  and    Geographical  information 

in  regard  to  the  ,  Continent 

INHABITED     BY    THE     BLACK     MAN. 


INDITED   BY 


L.    D.  (LNGERSOLL, 

AUTHOR   OK    M  IOWA   AND   THE    REBELLION,"   LATE    ASSOCIATE    EDITOR    OF   THE 
CHICAGO   EVENING   POST. 


WTLTI  MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Sold   by   Subscription   Qnly. 


UNION  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  163  TWENTY  SFXOND  STREET,  CHICAGO. 
A.  L.  BANCROFT  &  CO.,  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873,  by 

UNION  PUBLISHING  COMPANY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,   D.  C. 


GIFT 


OlTAWAY,    UkOWN   &    COLUKHT, 

PRINTERS, 
7  &  9  So.  Jefferson  St.,  Chicago,  III. 


Sterreotyped  by  the 

CHICAGO  TYPE  FOUNDRY, 

139  &  141  Monroe  Street. 


"DT73I 


PUBLISHERS'  PREFACE. 


The  *v.cent  success  of  the  unique  expedition  of  the  New- York 
w  Herald  "  newspaper  jn  search  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  African  missionaries,  and  modern  travellers,  has  given 
renewed  interest  to  a  continent  which  has  been  well  described  as 
"the  division  of  the  world  which  is  the  most  interesting,  and  about 
which  we  know  the  least."  To  supply  the  popular  demand  for  in- 
formation in  regard  to  Africa,  the  explorations  of  Dr.  Livingstone, 
the  "  Herald  "  expedition,  and  subjects  most  intimately  connected 
therewith,  the  following  volume  has  been  prepared.  It  will  be  seen 
that  Dr.  Livingstone  himself,  and  Mr.  Stanley,  the  conductor  of  the 
"  Herald  "  expedition,  have  been  largely  quoted  in  the  compila- 
tion of  the  work.  No  one  has  written  of  Africa  more  intelligently, 
graphically,  or  fully,  than  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  none  so  recently 
as  Mr.  Stanley.  They  are,  of  course,  the  principal  authorities  for 
this  volume,  as  they  are  the  best  that  can  be  had,  but  the  re- 
searches of  others  have  been  used  whenever  necessary  to  add  in- 
terest to  the  subject,  and  to  make  this  book  as  nearly  a  complete 
account  of  all  that  is  now  known  of  Africa  as  possible.  As  such, 
it  is  now  given  to  the  public  in  the  confident  belief  that  it  will 
supply  a  want  generally  felt,  and  which  has  often  been  expressed 
by  the  journals  of  our  own  and  other  countries,  and  other  recog- 
nized representatives  of  public  opinion. 

No  book  of  travels  is  more  interesting  than  the  great  work  of 
Dr.  Livingstone,  and  none,  we  think,  which  contains  so  much 
information  valuable  to  the  reading  world.  There  we  have  a  nar- 
rative in  which  are  finely  blended  accounts  of  missionary  labors, 
scientific  researches,  explorations  among  strange  people,  wonderful 
animals,  a  country  to  which  attaches  the  deepest  interest ;  and  all 
told  in  the  most  attractive  manner.     In  Mr.  Stanley's  dispatches, 


M597666 


PREFACE. 

letters,  and  more  formal  narrations,  we  have  among  the  best  ex- 
amples of  the  astonishing  development  and  enterprise  of  the 
modern  press,  as  aided  by  the  magnetic  telegraph.  Much  that  is 
most  excellent  in  what  these  men  have  said  of  Africa  on  the  spot 
will  be  found,  and  in  their  own  language,  in  this  volume.  Thus 
it  may  be  seen  how  ancient  and  modern  customs  and  habits,  and 
a  continent  of  the  old  and  the  new  world  clasp  hands  across  the 
gulf  of  time  and  space,  through  the  marvelous  means  of  the 
lightning  and  the  press. 

Whilst  no  pains  and  research  have  been  spared  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  book,  it  has  been  entrusted  to  one  familiar  with  the 
subject  and  able  to  place  before  the  public  in  the  least  practicable 
space,  all  that  is  most  valuable  and  interesting  connected  there- 
with. It  is  confidently  believed,  therefore,  that  no  book  of  so 
much  interesting  matter,  at  so  cheap  a  price  as  this  has  been 
published.  The  greatest  pains  have  been  taken  also  in  its  me- 
chanical execution.  We  feel  justified,  therefore,  in  commending, 
it  to  the  public  as  a  complete  hand-book  of  information  in  regard 
to  one  of  the  most  interesting  topics  to  which  mankind  are  now 
giving  attention,  and  religion,  literature,  and  science  their  best 
labors  and  studies. 

THE  UNION  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


EDITOR'S    PREFACE. 


The  following  volume  has  been  prepared  with  the  view  of  setting  forth  in  a 
clear  and  comprehensive  manner  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  results  of 
recent  explorations  in  Africa,  especially  those  of  Dr.  Livingstone :  of  setting 
them  forth  in  such  way  as  may  serve  to  give  the  general  reader  a  correct  knowl- 
edge of  the  remarkable  peoples  and  countries  first  made  known  by  the  greatest 
of  modern  explorers.  The  general  plan  of  the  book,  it  will  be  seen,  is  bio- 
graphical, Dr.  Livingstone  being  the  principal  character  of  the  volume,  as  he  is 
certainly  the  most  interesting  of  moderns  connected  with  African  exploration. 
But  with  him  are  grouped  others,  celebrated  in  somewhat  less  degree,  but  whose 
labors  have  been  invaluable  to  the  cause  of  both  general  and  scientific 
knowledge.  Among  these  is  Mr.  Stanley,  who  had  charge  of  the  famous  Special 
Search  Expedition  of  the  New  York  "  Herald,"  which  succeeded,  on  the  very 
scene  of  English  failure,  in  discovering  the  discoverer,  thereby  reflecting  the 
highest  renown  upon  American  journalism.  The  account  of  this  expedition,  as 
given  by  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Mr.  Stanley,  is  quite  full,  in  connection  with 
which  will  be  found  a  brief  history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  modern  journal- 
ism, which,  it  is  hoped,  will  not  be  found  inappropriate.  Special  emphasis  is 
given  to  Dr.  Livingstone's  letter  to  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Esq.,  Jr.,  upon  the 
subject  of  the  Slave  Trade  of  East  Africa,  and  British  culpability  therein. 

Should  the  volume  prove  to  be  of  value  in  giving  the  reading  public  a  general 
knowledge  of  the  African  continent ;  of  arousing  an  interest  among  the  com- 
mercial and  religious  people  of  America  in  behalf  of  extending  commerce  and 
Christian  civilization  to  the  continent  of  contrasts  ;  and  also  of  exciting  a  feeling 
of  just  indignation  that  England  still  permits  her  subjects  to  carry  on  the  slave 
trade  and  thus  succeed  in  bringing  her  to  a  performance  of  duty  in  this  great 
matter  of  international  interest  and  treaty  stipulations,  I  shall  be  greatly 
gratified. 

L.  D.  INGERSOLL. 

Chicago,  November,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

A  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  AFRICA— ITS  ANCIENT  CIVILIZATION-LITTLE 
INFORMATION  EXTANT  IN  RELATION  TO  LARGE  PORTIONS  OF 
THE  CONTINENT— THE  GREAT  FIELD  OF  SCIENTIFIC  EXPLORA- 
TIONS AND  MISSIONARY  LABOR— ACCOUNT  OF  A  NUMBER  OF  EX- 
PLORING EXPEDITIONS,  INCLUDING  THOSE  OF  MUNGO  PARK, 
DENHAM  AND  CLAPPERTON,  AND  OTHERS— THEIR  PRACTICAL 
RESULTS— DESIRE  OF  FURTHER  INFORMATION  INCREASED— RE- 
CENT EXPLORATIONS,  NOTABLY  THOSE  OF  DR.  LIVINGSTONE  AND 
MR.  STANLEY,  REPRESENTING  THE  NEW  YORK  "HERALD"  NEWS- 
PAPER  - 17 

CHAPTER  II. 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF    LIVINGSTONE. 

HIS  BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE— HARD  WORK  AND  HARD  STUDY— TH  5 
FACTORY  BOY  BECOMES  A  PHYSICIAN— THE  OPIUM  WAR  IN  CHII\  \ 
CAUSES  HIM  TO  SAIL  FOR  AFRICA 2» 

CHAPTER  III. 
MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

DR.  LIVINGSTONE'S  DEPARTURE  FROM  CAPE  TOWN  AND  JOURNEY 
TO  THE  MISSIONARY  STATION,  KURUMAN— PROCEEDS  TO  SKO- 
KUANE,  THE  CHIEF  VILLAGE  OF  SECHELE,  CHIEF  OF  THE  BAK- 
WAINS— SKETCH  OF  THE  CHIEFTAIN'S  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER- 
MISSIONARY  LIFE— CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PEOPLE— GRAPHIC 
SKETCH  OF  A  COMBAT  WITH  LIONS— MANY  FACTS  ABOUT  THE 
44  KING  OF  BEASTS." 38 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  IV. 

LIVINGSTONE'S    FIRST   AND    SECOND   JOURNEYS  INTO    THE 

INTERIOR. 

DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  CENTRAL  PORTION  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA— DISCOV- 
ERY OF  LAKE  NGAMI— ELEPHANTS—  JOURNEY  TO  THE  COUNTRY 
OF  THE  MAKOLOLO— THEIR  SOVEREIGN,  SEBITUANE-A  REMARK- 
ABLE CAREER— DISCOVERY  OF  THE  RIVER  ZAMBESI— THE  SLAVE 
TRADE-RETURN  TO  CAPE  TOWN— THE  TSETSE  FLY 62 

CHAPTER  V. 
FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  LOANDA. 

DR.  LIVINGSTONE  DEPARTS  FOR  THE  COUNTRY  OF  MAKOLOLO 
—LIFE  AND  LABORS  THERE— THE  CHIEF  SEKELETU— DEPARTS 
FOR  THE  WEST  COAST  OF  AFRICA— NARRATIVE  OF  THE  JOURNEY 
—ARRIVAL  AMONG  THE  PORTUGUESE  COLONISTS— HIS  OPINION 
OF  THIS  PORTION  OF  AFRICA— DETERMINES  UPON  ANOTHER 
GREAT  EXPEDITION S9 

CHAPTER  VI. 

ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT. 

THE  EXPEDITION  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  FROM  LOANDA  TO  KILI- 
MANE ACCOUNT  OF  THE  JOURNEY— THE  WATER-SHED  OF  CEN- 
TRAL AFRICA— LAKE  DILOLO,  AND  A  RIVER  FLOWING  IN  TWO 
DIRECTIONS— THE  GREAT  FALLS  OF  VICTORIA  ON  THE  ZAMBESI— 
THE  JOURNEY  FROM  LINYANTI  EASTWARD— THE  PEOPLE  OF 
THIS  PORTION  OF  AFRICA— THE  COUNTRY— ANIMALS  AND  VEGE- 
TATION—ARRIVAL AT  KILIMANE— DEPARTURE  FOR  ENGLAND- 
RESUME  OF  EVENTS  CONNECTED  WITH  MORE  THAN  9,006  MILES 
OF  TRAVEL,  AND  MANY  DISCOVERIES 109 

CHAPTER   VII. 
DR.  LIVINGSTONE  IN  ENGLAND. 

HIS  RECEPTION  BY  HIS  COUNTRYMEN— THE  PREPARATION  OF  HIS 
WORK  ENTITLED  M  MISSIONARY  TRAVELS  AND  RESEARCHES  IN 
SOUTH  AFRICA"— FAVORABLY  RECEIVED  BY  CHRISTENDOM 147 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

LIVINGSTONE'S    SECOND     (AND    PRESENT)    EXPEDITION    TO 

AFRICA. 

AGAIN  SAILS  FOR  AFRICA— PAINFUL  REPORTS  OF  HIS  DEATH— THE 
LONG  SUSPENSE  IN  REGARD  THERETO— CONFLICTING  REP0RTS...154 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  HERALD  EXPEDITION  OF  SEARCH. 

THE  GREAT  DEVELOPMENT  OF  MODERN  JOURNALISM— THE  TELE- 
GRAPH—JAMES GORDON  BENNETT,  HORACE  GREELEY,  HENRY  J. 
RAYMOND  — THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  AMERICAN  JOURNALISTIC  EN- 
TERPRISE—THE HERALD  SPECIAL  SEARCH  EXPEDITION  FOR  DR. 
LIVINGSTONE  — STANLEY  AS  A  CORRESPONDENT— THE  EXPE- 
D1TION  ON  ITS  WAY  TOWARD  LIVINGSTONE T«8 

CHAPTER  X. 

HENRY    M.    STANLEY. 

SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  MR.  STANLEY  BEFORE  BEGINNING  THE 
SEARCH  FOR  LIVINGSTONE— HIS  ENTHUSIASM,  COURAGE,  AND 
ENDURANCE— TRAVELS  IN  ASIA-STATEMENT  BY  THE  HON.  E. 
JOY  MORRIS,  EX-UNITED  STATES  MINISTER  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE 
—BEGINS  THE  GREAT  ENTERPRISE    OF  HIS  LIFE IS? 

CHAPTER  XI. 

MR.  STANLEY   IN   AFRICA. 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  DR.  LIVINGSTONE  ENERGETICALLY  BEGUN— PRO- 
GRESS DELAYED  BY  WARS— THE  SUCCESSFUL  JOURNEY  FROM 
UNYANYEMBE  TO  UJIJI  IN  1871— THE  "HERALD"  CABLE  TELE- 
GRAM ANNOUNCING  THE  SAFETY  OF  LIVINGSTONE— THE  BATTLES 
AND  INCIDENTS  OF  THIS  NEWSPAPER  CAMPAIGN— RECEIPT  OF 
THE  GREAT  NEWS  — THE  HONOR  BESTOWED  ON  AMERICAN 
JOURNALISM 19S. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XII. 
THE  MEETING  OF  LIVINGSTONE  AND  STANLEY. 

THE  "LAND  OF  THE  MOON"-DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY  AND 
PEOPLE— HORRID  SAVAGE  RITES— JOURNEY  FROM  UNYANYEMBE 
TO  UJIJI-A  WONDERFUL  COUNTRY— A  MIGHTY  RIVER  SPANNED 
BY  A  BRIDGE  OF  GRASS— OUTWITTING  THE  SPOILERS— STANLEY'S 
ENTRY  INTO  UJIJI  AND  MEETING  WITH  LIVINGSTONE  — THE 
GREAT  TRIUMPH  OF  AN  AMERICAN  NEWSPAPER 21C 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
LIVINGSTONE   AND  STANLEY  IN    AFRICA. 

THE  GREAT  EXPLORER  AS  A  COMPANION— HIS  MISSIONARY  LABORS— 
THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LATEST  EXPLORATIONS  — THE  PROBABLE 
SOURCES  OF  THE  NILE— GREAT  LAKES  AND  RIVERS— THE  COUN- 
TRY and  People  of  central  Africa  — a  race  of  African 

AMAZONS  — SLAVE      TRADE  — A    HORRID     MASSACRE  — THE      DIS- 
COVERER PLUNDERED 35« 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

LIVINGSTONE  AND  STANLEY  IN  AFRICA. 

[continued.] 

AN  EXPLORATION  OF  TANGANYIKA  LAKE  — RESULT  — CHRISTMAS 
AT  UJIJI— LIVINGSTONE  PROCEEDS  WITH  STANLEY  TO  UNYAN- 
YEMBE-ACCOUNT  OF  THE  JOURNEY— ALLEGED  NEGLECT  OF  LIV- 
INGSTONE BY  THE  BRITISH  CONSULATE  AT  ZANZIBAR  — DE- 
PARTURE OF  THE  EXPLORER  FOR  THE  INTERIOR,  AND  OF  MR. 
STANLEY  FOR  EUROPE 293 

CHAPTER  XV. 
DR.  LIVINGSTONE  STILL   IN  AFRICA. 

THE  GREAT  EXPLORER  STILL  IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  SOURCES  OF 
THE  NILE— HIS  LETTERS  TO  THE  ENGLISH  GOVERNMENT  ON  HIS 
EXPLORATIONS— CORRESPONDENCE    WITH   LORD  STANLEY,  LORD 


CONTENTS. 

CLARENDON,  EARL  GRANVILLE,  DR.  KIRK,  AND  JAMES  GORDON 
BENNETT,  JR.-HIS  OWN  DESCRIPTION  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA  AND 
THE  SUPPOSED  SOURCES  OF  THE  NILE  — THE  COUNTRY  AND 
PEOPLE  — A  NATION  OF  CANNIBALS  — BEAUTIFUL  WOMEN-  GO- 
RILLAS—THE EXPLORER'S  PLANS  FOR  THE  FUTURE 302 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   SUCCESS   OF   THE   HERALD    ENTER- 
PRISE. 

MR.  STANLEY'S    DESPATCHES    TO  THE  "  HERALD"— THEY   CREATE  A       - 
PROFOUND  SENSATION— THE    QUESTION  OF    THE  AUTHENTICITY 
OF  HIS    REPORTS— CONCLUSIVE  PROOF  THEREOF— TESTIMONY  OF 
THE  ENGLISH  PRESS,  JOHN  LIVINGSTONE,  EARL  GRANVILLE,  AND 
THE  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND   HERSELF 33© 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
MR.  STANLEYS  RECEPTION  IN  EUROPE. 

MR.  STANLEY  IS  EVERYWHERE  RECEIVED  WITH  MARKED  ATTEN- 
TION—RECEPTION AT  PARIS— IN  LONDON— THE  BRIGHTON  BAN- 
QUET—HONORS FROM  THE  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND 311 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SLAVE  TRADE  OF  EAST  AFRICA. 

DR.  LIVINGSTONE'S  LETTER  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  TO  MR.  BENNET'n 

COMPARES  THE  SLAVE  TRADE  WITH  PIRACY  ON  THE  HIGH  SEAS 
'  —NATIVES  OF  INTERIOR  AFRICA  AVERAGE  SPECIMENS  OF  HU- 
MANITY-SLAVE TRADE  CRUELTIES -DEATHS  FROM  BROKEN 
HEARTS— THE  NEED  OF  CHRISTIAN  CIVILIZATION-BRITISH  CUL- 
PABILITY  316 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM  OF  AFRICA. 

SOME  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  BEASTS,  BIRDS,  REPTILES,  AND  INSECTS  OF 
AFRICA -LIVINGSTONE'S  OPINION  OF  THE  LION  —  ELEPHANTS, 
HIPPOPOTAMI,  RHINOCEROSES,  ETC.- WILD  ANIMALS  SUBJECT  TO 


CONTENTS. 

DISEASE— REMARKABLE  HUNTING  EXPLORATIONS  —  CUMMING 
SLAYS  MORE  THAN  ONE  HUNDRED  ELEPHANTS— DU  CHAILLU 
AND  THE  GORILLA— THRILLING  INCIDENTS— VAST  PLAINS  COV- 
ERED WITH  GAME— FORESTS  FILLED  WITH  BIRDS— IMMENSE  SER- 
PENTS—THE PYTHON  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA  — ANTS  AND  OTHER 
INSECTS 35b 

CHAPTFR  XX. 
AFRICAN  TREES  AND  VEGETATION- 

BRIEF  NOTICE  OF  THE  VEGETABLE  KINGDOM  OF  AFRICA— IMMENSE 
DESERTS  AND  PRODIGIOUS,  TOWER-LIKE  TREES— GRASSES  HIGHER 
THAN  A  MAN  ON  HORSEBACK  — THE  COTTON  PLANT-GENERAL 
REMARKS 391 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  DESERT  OF  SAHARA. 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GREAT  DESERT  OF  NORTH  AFRICA- 
ITS  DIFFERENT  DIVISIONS,  INHABITANTS,  AND  PRODUCTIONS- 
CITIES  BURIED  UNDER  THE  SANDS— THE  STORMS  OF  WIND— IN- 
FLUENCE OF  THE  DESERT  UPON  THE  CLIMATE  AND  CIVILIZATION 
OF    EUROPE »»* 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
GEOLOGY  OF  AFRICA— ANTIQUITY  OF  MAN. 

THE  GENERAL  GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  THE  CONTINENT— THE 
WANT  OF  COMPREHENSIVE  INVESTIGATION— SINGULAR  FACTS  AS 
TO  THE  DESERT  OF  SAHARA— THE  QUESTION  OF  THE  ANTIQUITY 
OF  MAN— IS  AFRICA  THE  BIRTH-PLACE  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE?— 
OPINIONS  OF  SCIENTISTS  TENDING  TO  ANSWER  IN  THE  AFFIRM- 
ATIVE—DARWINISM  40» 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
CONCLUSION. 
THE  RESULT  IN   BEHALF    OF  SCIENCE,   RELIGION,  AND   HUMANITY 
OF  THE  EXPLORATIONS  AND  MISSIONARY  LABORS  OF  DR.  LIVING- 
STONE AND   OTHERS  IN  AFRICA— REVIEW  OF  RECENT  DISCOVER- 
IES IN  RESPECT  TO  THE  PEOPLE  AND  THE  PHYSICAL  NATURE  OF 
THE    AFRICAN    CONTINENT— THE     DIAIYIOND    FIELDS    OF   SOUTH 
AFRICA-BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  THE  CONTINENT— ITS  CAPABILITIES 
AND  ITS  WANTS— CHRISTIANITY  AND  MODERN  JOURNALISM  DIS 
SIPATING  OLD    BARBARISMS,  AND    LEADING    THE   WAY    TO    TRI- 
UMPHS  OF  CIVILIZATION 427 


C3-S? 


PAGE. 

i  Portrait  of  Dr.  David  Livingstone (Frontispiece) 

2  Lion 27 

3  Narrow  Escape  from  a  Lion 33 

4  Three  Lions  attempting  to  drag  down  a  Buffalo 51 

5  The  Tiger. 6r 

6  Buffalo  Cow  Defending  her  Calf 69 

7  The  Tsetse  Fly 86 

8  Native  African  Chiefs  Assembling  in  their  Canoes SS 

9  War  Dance  of  one  of  the  South  African  Tribes 88 

10  The  Travelling  Procession  Interrupted 105 

11  The  Elephant _ 108 

12  Portrait  of  Sayid  Bergash,  Sultan  of  Zanzibar 123 

13  Portrait  of  Sayid  Suleiman,  Grand  Vizier  of  Zanzibar 142 

14  Vulture _  146 

15  The  Zebra 153 

16  Drilling  Nasik  Boys  at  Zanzibar ....  159 

17  The  Leopard 167 

18  Private  Reception  of  the  English  Livingstone  Expedition 

at  the  Sultan's  Palace  at  Zanzibar _ 177 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

19  Portrait  of  Henry  M.  Stanley 195 

20  Flamingoes 197 

2 1  Small  Map  of  Explorations  in  Africa 213 

22  The  Tapir.. 215 

23  Mr.  Stanley,  his  Boy  Kalulu,  and  Interpreter  Selim 231 

24  The  Meeting  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Mr.  Stanley  in  Cen- 

tral Africa 249 

25  The  Crocodile .. 255 

26  Ostrich 267 

27  Rhinoceros  and  Elephant ...    267 

28  Effect  of  the  Great  Hurricane  at  Zanzibar 285 

29  Antelope 291 

30  Jaguar .-   300 

31  Mr.  Stanley  on  his  Way  to  the  Coast 303 

32  Map  of  the  Watershed  of  Africa 321 

33  Zebu - 329 

34  Rhinoceros 338 

35  Giraffes  Taking  Exercise 339 

36  Hippopotamus 345 

37  Black  Maned  Lion _.  355 

38  Native  Killing  a  Python __ .. 357 

39  Buffalo 390 

40  General  Map  of  Africa — 


Exploitations  in    Africa, 


BY 


LIVINGSTONE,  STANLEY, 


AjSTID    others. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

A  Brief  Account  of  Africa — Its  Ancient  Civilization — Little  Information  extant 
in  Relation  to  Large  Portions  of  the  Continent — The  Great  field  of  Scientific 
Explorations  and  Missionary  Labor — Account  of  a  Number  of  Exploring 
Expeditions,  Including  those  of  Mungo  Park,  Denham  and  Clapperton,  and 
others — Their  Practical  Results — Desire  of  Further  Information  Increased — 
Recent  Explorations,  Notably  those  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Mr.  Stanley,  Rep- 
resenting the  New  York  "  Herald  "  Newspaper. 

A  work  of  standard  authority  among  scholars  says 
that  "  Africa  is  the  division  of  the  world  which  is  the 
most  interesting,  and  about  which  we  know  the  least." 
Its  very  name  is  a  mystery;  no  one  can  more  than 
approximately  calculate  its  vast  extent ;  even  those 
who  have  studied  the  problem  the  most  carefully 
widely  disagree  among  themselves  as  to  the  number 
of  its  population,  some  placing  it  as  low  as  60,000,000, 
others,  much  in  excess  of  100,000,000  souls  ;  its  su- 

(i7) 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

perficial  configuration  in  many  portions  is  only  guessed 
at ;  the  sources  of  its  mightiest  river  are  unknown. 
The  heats,  deserts,  wild  beasts,  venomous  reptiles 
and  savage  tribes  of  this  great  continent  have  raised 
the  only  barrier  against  the  spirit  of  discovery  and 
progress,  elsewhere  irrepressible,  of  the  age,  and  no 
small  proportion  of  Africa  is  to-day  as  much  a  terra 
incognita  as  when  the  father  of  history  wrote.  Many 
of  its  inhabitants  are  among  the  most  barbarous  and 
depraved  of  all  the  people  of  the  world,  but  in  ancient 
times  some  of  its  races  were  the  leaders  of  all  men 
in  civilization  and  were  unquestionably  possessed  of 
mechanical  arts  and  processes  which  have  long  been 
lost  in  the  lapse  of  ages.  They  had  vast  cities,  great 
and  elaborate  works  of  art,  and  were  the  most  suc- 
cessful of  agriculturists.  Noted  for  their  skill  in  the 
management  of  the  practical  affairs  of  life,  they  also 
paid  profound  attention  to  the  most  abstruse  questions 
of  religion ;  and  it  was  a  people  of  Africa,  the  Egypt- 
ians, who  first  announced  belief  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  body  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Large 
numbers  of  mummies,  still  existing,  ages  older  than 
the  Christian  era,  attest  the  earnestness  of  the  ancient 
faith  in  dogmas  which  form  an  essential  part  of  the 
creed  of  nearly  every  Christian  sect.  The  most 
magnificent  of  women  in  the  arts  of  coquetry  and 
voluptuous  love  belonged  to  this  continent  of  which 
so  much  still  sits  in  darkness.  The  art  of  war  was 
here  cultivated  to  the  greatest  perfection  ;  and  it  was 
before  the  army  of  an  African  general  that  the  Ro- 
man legions  went  down  at  Cannae,  and  by  whom  the 
Empire  came  near  being  completely  ruined.     Indeed, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 9 

it  may  with  much  show  of  argument  be  claimed  that 
the  continent  over  so  much  of  which  ignorance  and 
superstition  and  beasts  of  prey  now  hold  thorough 
sway,  was  originally  the  cradle  of  art,  and  civilization, 
and  human  progress. 

But    if  the  northern  portion  of   the  continent  of 
Africa  was  in  the  remote  past  the  abode  of  learning 
and  of  the  useful  arts,  it  is  certain  that  during  recent 
periods,  other  portions  of  the    continent,  separated 
from  this  by  a  vast  expanse  of  desert  waste,  have 
supplied  the  world  with  the  most  lamentable  examples 
of  human  misery  and  the  most  hideous  instances  of 
crime.     Nor  did  cupidity  and  rapacity  confine  them- 
selves in  the  long  years  of  African  spoliation  to  or- 
dinary robbers  and   buccaneers.      Christian   nations 
took  part  in  the  horrid  work ;  and  we  have  the   au- 
thority of  accredited  history  for  the  statement  that 
Elizabeth  of  England  was  a  smuggler  and  a  slave- 
trader.     Thus  Africa  presents  the  interesting  anomaly 
of  having  been  the  home  of  ancient  civilization,  and 
the  prey  of  the  modern  rapacity  and  plunder  of  all 
nations.     It  is  natural,  therefore,  that  in  regard  to  the 
plundered    portions    of  this   devoted  continent,  the 
world  at  large  should  know  but  little.     It  is  also  nat- 
ural that  with  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  scien- 
tific knowledge,  humanity,  genuine  Christianity,  and 
the  rage  for  discovery,  this  vast  territory  should  re- 
ceive the  attention  of  good  and  studious  men  and 
moral  nationalities.     Accordingly  we  find  that  during 
a  comparatively  recent  period  Africa  has  become  a 
great  field  of  scientific  explorations  and  missionary 
labor,  as  well  as  of  colonization. 


20  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

The  first  people  to  give  special  and  continued  at- 
tention to  discoveries  in  Africa,  were  the  Portuguese. 
During  the  fifteenth  century,  noted  for  the  great  ad- 
vance made  in  geographical  discoveries,  the  kingdom 
of  Portugal  was,  perhaps,  the  greatest  maritime  power 
of  Christendom.  Her  sovereigns  greatly  encouraged 
and  many  of  their  most  illustrious  subjects  practical- 
ly engaged  in  voyages  of  discovery.  They  were  pre- 
eminently successful  both  in  the  eastern  and  western 
hemisphere,  and  one  of  the  results  of  their  daring 
enterprise  is  the  remarkable  fact  that  Portuguese  col- 
onies are  much  more  powerful  and  wealthy  to-day 
than  the  parent  kingdom. 

"  The  Child  is  father  of  the  Man." 

The  Portuguese  sent  many  exploring  expeditions 
along  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  in  the  course  of  a  cen- 
tury they  had  circumnavigated  the  continent  and 
planted  colonies  all  along  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Indian  oceans.  Bartholmew  Dias  having 
discovered  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  reigning 
sovereign  of  Portugal  determined  to  prosecute  the 
explorations  still  further,  with  the  object  of  discover- 
ing a  passage  to  India.  This  discovery  was  made  by 
the  intrepid  and  illustrious  mariner,  Vasco  de  Gama, 
November  20,  1497,  a  little  more  than  five  years  after 
the  discovery  of  America.  He  pursued  his  voyage 
along  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa,  discovering  Natal, 
Mozambique,  a  number  of  islands,  and  finding  people 
in  a  high  stage  of  commercial  advancement,  with 
well-built  cities,  ports,  mosques  for  the  worship  of 
Allah  according  to  the  Mohammedan  faith,  and  car- 
rying on  a  considerable  trade  with  India  and  the  Spice 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  21 

Islands.  Of  this  trade,  Portugal  long  retained  supre- 
macy. Other  European  powers  also  meantime  es- 
tablished colonies  at  different  places  on  the  African 
coast,  so  that  in  the  sixteenth  century  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  outer  shell,  so  to  say,  had  been  examined 
The  vast  interior,  however,  long  remained  unexplor- 
ed, and  much  of  it  remains  an  utterly  unknown  pri- 
meval wilderness  to  this  day.  The  settlements  and 
colonies  of  the  Portuguese,  French,  Dutch,  and  English 
were  for  commercial  purposes  only,  and  added  very 
little  to  the  general  stock  of  information. 

It  was  not  until  a  year  after  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  that  any  organized 
effort  in  behalf  of  discoveries  in  Africa  was  made. 
In  the  city  of  London  a  Society  for  the  Exploration 
of  Interior  Africa  was  formed  in  1788,  but  it  was  not 
until  seven  years  afterwards,  that  the  celebrated 
Mungo  Park  undertook  his  first  expedition.  Thus  it 
was  more  than  three  hundred  years  from  the  discovery 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  before  even  a  ray  of  light 
began  to  penetrate  the  darkness  of  benighted  Africa. 
Meantime,  great  empires  had  been  overthrown  and 
others  established  in  their  place  and  beneficent  gov- 
ernments founded  on  both  continents  of  the  western 
world. 

The  life  and  adventures  of  Mungo  Park  form  a 
story  of  exceeding  interest,  between  which  and  the 
life  and  adventures  of  Dr.  Livingstone  there  are  not 
a  few  points  of  remarkable  coincidence.  Park  was  a 
native  of  Scotland,  and  one  of  many  children.  He 
was  educated  also  in  the  medical  profession.  More- 
over, while  he  was  making  his  first  tour  of  discovery 


22  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

in  Africa,  having  long  been  absent  from  home,  reports 
of  his  death  reached  England  and  were  universally 
credited.  His  arrival  at  Falmouth  in  December 
1797,  caused  a  most  agreeable  surprise  throughout 
the  kingdom.  An  account  of  his  travels  abounding 
with  thrilling  incidents,  including  accounts  of  great 
suffering  from  sickness  and  cruelty  at  the  hands  of 
Mohammedan  Africans  on  the  Niger,  was  extensive- 
ly circulated.  Many  portions  of  this  narrative  were 
in  about  all  the  American  school  books  durine  the 
first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  the  name  of 
Mungo  Park  became  as  familiar  as  household  words  in 
the  United  States.  In  1805,  Park  undertook  another 
tour  of  discovery,  which  he  prosecuted  for  sometime 
with  indomitable  courage  and  against  difficulties  before 
which  an  ordinary  mind  would  have  succumbed.  He 
navigated  the  Niger  for  a  long  distance,  passing  Jen- 
nee,  Timbuctoo,  and  Yaoori,  but  was  soon  after  at- 
tacked in  a  narrow  channel,  and,  undertaking  to  escape 
by  swimming,  was  drowned.  His  few  remaining  white 
companions  perished  with  him. 

The  discoveries  of  this  celebrated  man  were  in  that 
part  of  Africa  which  lies  between  the  equator  and 
the  20th  degree  of  north  latitude.  They  added  much 
to  the  knowledge  of  that  portion  of  the  country,  and 
keenly  whetted  the  desire  of  further  information. 
Several  journeys  and  voyages  up  rivers  followed,  but 
without  notable  result  till  the  English  expedition 
under  Denham  and  Clapperton  in  1822.  This  expe- 
dition started  with  a  caravan  of  merchants  from 
Tripoli  on  the  Mediterranean,  and  after  traversing 
the  o-reat  desert,  reached  Lake  Tsad  in  interior  Africa. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  23 

Denham  explored  the  lake  and  its  shores,  while  Lieut. 
Clapperton  pursued  his  journey  westward  as  far  as 
Sakatu,  which  is  not  greatly  distant  from  the  Niger. 
He  retraced  his  steps,  and  having  visited  England, 
began  a  second  African  tour,  starting  from  near  Cape 
•Coast  Castle  on  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  Traveling  in 
a  northeastern  direction,  he  struck  the  Niger  at  Boussa, 
and  going  by  way  of  Kano,  a  place  of  considerable 
commercial  importance,  again  arrived  at  Sakatu,  where 
he  shortly  afterwards  died.  He  was  the  first  man 
who  had  traversed  Africa  from  the  Mediterranean  sea 
to  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  Richard  Lander,  a  servant 
of  Lieut.  Clapperton,  afterwards  discovered  the  course 
of  the  Niger  from  Boussa  to  the  gulf,  finding  it  iden- 
tical with  the  river  Nun  of  the  seacoast. 

Other  fours  of  discovery  into  Africa  have  been 
made  to  which  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  refer.  The 
practical  result  of  all  these  expeditions,  up  to  about 
the  middle  of  the  ninetenth  century,  was  a  rough 
outline  of  information  in  regard  to  the  coast  coun- 
tries of  Africa,  the  course  of  the  Niger,  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  tribes  of  Southern  Africa,  and  a 
little  more  definite  knowledge  concerning  Northern 
and  Central  Africa,  embracing  herein  the  great  des- 
ert,  Lake  Tsad,  the  river  Niger,  and  the  people  be- 
tween the  desert  and  the  Gulf  of  Guinea.  Perhaps 
the  most  comprehensive  statement  ot  the  effect  of 
this  information  upon  Christian  peoples  was  that  it 
seemed  to  conclusively  demonstrate  an  imperative 
demand  for  missionary  labors.  Even  the  Mohamme- 
dans of  the  Moorish  Kingdom  of  Ludamar,  set  loose 
a  wild  boar  upon   Mungo  Park.     They  were  aston- 


24  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ished  that  the  wild  beast  assailed  the  Moslems  instead 
of  the  Christian,  and  afterwards  shut  the  two  together 
in  a  hut,  while  King  and  council  debated  whether  the 
white  man  should  lose  his  right  arm,  his  eyes,  or  his 
life.  During  the  debate,  the  traveler  escaped.  If 
the  Mohammedan  Africans  were  found  to  be  thus 
cruel,  it  may  well  be  inferred  that  those  of  poorer 
faith  were  no  less  bloodthirsty.  And  thus,  as  one  of 
the  results  of  the  expeditions  to  which  we  have  re- 
ferred, a  renewed  zeal  in  proselytism  and  discovery 
was  developed. 

Thus,  the  two  most  distinguished  African  travellers, 
and  who  have  published  the  most  varied,  extensive, 
and  valuable  information  in  regard  to  that  continent, 
performed  the  labors  of  their  first  expeditions  co- 
temporaneously,  the  one  starting  from  the  north  of 
Africa*  the  other  from  the  south.  I  can  but  refer  to 
the  distinguished  Dr.  Heinreich  Barth,  and  him  who 
is  largely  the  subject  of  this  volume,  Dr.  David  Liv- 
ingstone. The  expeditions  were  not  connected  the 
one  with  the  other,  but  had  this  in  common  that  both 
were  begun  under  the  auspices  of  the  British  govern- 
ment and  people.  A  full  narrative  of  Dr.  Barth's 
travels  and  discoveries  has  been  published,  from  which 
satisfactory  information  in  regard  to  much  of  north- 
ern and  central  Africa  may  be  obtained.  The 
narrative  is  highly  interesting  and  at  once  of  great 
popular  and  scientific  value.  Hence  the  world  has 
learned  the  geography  of  a  wide  expanse  of  country 
round  about  Lake  Tsad  in  all  directions ;  far  toward 
Abyssinia  northeasterly,  as  far  west  by  north  as  Tim- 
buctoo,  several  hundred  miles  southeasterly,  and  as 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  25 

far  toward  the  southwest,  along  the  River  Benue,  as 
the  junction  of  the  Faro.  Dr.  Barth  remained  in 
Africa  six  years,  much  of  the  time  without  a  single 
white  associate,  his  companions  in  the  expedition 
having  all  died.  Dr.  Overweg,  who  was  the  first 
European  to  navigate  Lake  Tsad,  died  in  September, 
1852.  Mr.  Richardson,  the  official  chief  of  the  ex- 
pedition, had  died  in  March  of  the  previous  year. 

But  unquestionably  the  most  popular  of  African 
explorers  is  Dr.  Livingstone,  an  account  of  whose 
first  expedition — 1849-52 — has  been  read  by  a  great 
majority  of  intelligent  persons  speaking  the  English 
language.  Large  and  numerous  editions  were  speed- 
ily demanded,  and  Africa  again  became  an  almost 
universal  topic  of  discourse.  Indeed,  intelligence  of 
Dr.  Livingstone's  return  after  so  many  years  of  toil 
and  danger,  was  rapidly  spread  among  the  nations, 
accompanied  by  brief  reports  of  his  explorations,  and 
these  prepared  the  way  for  the  reception  of  the 
Doctors  great  work  by  vast  numbers  of  people. 
Every  one  was  ready  and  anxious  to  carry  the  war  of 
his  reading  into  Africa.  And  afterwards,  when  Dr. 
Livingstone  returned  to  Africa,  and  having  prosescuted 
his  explorations  for  a  considerable  period  reports 
came  of  his  death  at  the  hands  of  cruel  and  treach- 
erous natives,  interest  in  exact  knowledge  of  his  fate 
became  intense  and  appeared  only  to  increase  upon 
the  receipt  of  reports  contradicting  the  first,  and  then 
again  of  rumors  which  appeared  to  substantiate  those 
which  had  been  first  received.  In  consequence  of  the 
conflicting  statements  which,  on  account  of  the  uni- 
versal interest  in  the  subject,  were  published  in  the 


2  6  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

public  press  throughout  the  world,  the  whole  Chris- 
tian church,  men  of  letters  and  science  became  fairly 
agitated.  The  sensation  was  profound,  and,  based 
upon  admiration  of  a  man  of  piety,  sublime  courage, 
and  the  most  touching  self-denial  in  a  great  cause  to 
which  he  had  devoted  all  his  bodily  and  intellectual 
powers,  it  was  reasonable  and  philosophical. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  English 
government  should  have  fitted  out  an  expedition  in 
search  of  Livingstone.  Accordingly,  the  Livingstone 
Search  Expedition,  as  it  is  called,  was  organized  early 
in  the  winter  of  1871-72,  and  under  command  of  Lieut 
Dawson,  embarked  on  its  destination,  on  the  9th  of 
February  of  the  last  year.  The  expedition  reached 
Zanzibar  April  19,  and  the  members  were  most  kindly 
received  by  the  Sultan,  Sayid  Bergash,  and  greatly 
assisted  by  his  Grand  Vizier,  Sayid  Suliman.  A 
company  of  six  Nasik  youths,  originally  slaves  in  a 
part  of  Africa  through  which  the  Search  Expedition 
would  pass,  were  being  drilled  for  the  purpose,  and 
were  expected  to  be  of  great  assistance. 

But  before  intelligence  of  the  Livingstone  Search 
Expedition  at  Zanzibar  awaiting  favorable  weather, 
had  arrived,  the  world  was  startled  by  the  news  that 
a  private  expedition,  provided  solely  by  the  New 
York  "  Herald "  newspaper,  and  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Henry  M.  Stanley,  had  succeeded,  after  surmounting 
incredible  difficulties,  in  reaching  Ujiji,  where  a  meet- 
ing of  the  most  remarkable  nature  took  place  between 
the  great  explorer  and  the  representative  of  the  en- 
terprising journal  of  New  York.  Unique  in  its  origin, 
most  remarkable  in  the  accomplishment  of  its  benefi- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  2J 

cent  purpose,  this  Herald-Livingstone  expedition  has 
received  the  considerate  approval  of  mankind,  and 
Mr.  Stanley  has  become  with  justice  regarded  as  a 
practical  hero  of  a  valuable  kind.  His  accounts  of 
his  travel,  his  dispatches  to  the  "  Herald"  from  time 
to  time,  the  more  formal  narratives  furnished  by  him, 
compose  a  story  of  the  deepest  interest  and,  when 
properly  considered,  of  the  greatest  value.  It  is  to 
preserve  this  story  in  permanent  form — and  wher- 
ever possible  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Stanley  himself 
— connecting  with  it  such  portions  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone's life  and  explorations,  such  accounts  of  discov- 
eries and  affairs  in  Africa  generally,  and  such  mention 
of  the  newspaper  enterprise  itself  as  may  serve  to 
make  a  volume  of  interesting  and  useful  information 
upon  a  subject  of  confessedly  universal  interest 
among  Christian  people,  that  this  work  has  been  un- 
dertaken. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH   OF   LIVINGSTONE. 

His  Birth  and  Parentage— Hard  Work  and  Hard  Study — The  Factory  Boy  Be- 
comes a  Physician — The  Opium  War  in  China  Causes  Him  to  Sail  for 
Africa. 

David  Livingstone,  whose  name  has  become  so 
distinguished  on  account  of  discoveries  in  southern 
and  central  Africa,  is  a  native  of  Scotland.  In  the 
introductory  chapter  to  his  interesting  "  Missionary- 
Travels  and  Researches  in  South  Africa,"  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone makes  passing  mention  of  a  few  of  his  an- 
cestors, showing  that  he  came  of  good  honest  stock. 
"  Our  great-grandfather,"  he  says,  "fell  at  the  battle 
of  Culloden,  fighting  for  the  old  line  of  kings ;  and 
our  grandfather  was  a  small  farmer  in  Ulva,  where 
my  father  was  born.  It  is  one  of  that  cluster  of  the 
Hebrides  thus  alluded  to  by  Walter  Scott : 

'  And  Ulva  dark  and  Colonsay, 
And  all  the  group  of  Islands  gay 
That  guard  famed  Staffa  round  ! ' 

"  Our  grandfather  was  intimately  acquainted  with 
all  the  traditionary  legends  which  that  great  writer 
has  since  made  use  of  in  the  '  Tales  of  a  Grandfath- 
er '  and  other  works.  As  a  boy  I  remember  listening 
to  him  with  delight,  for  his  memory  was  stored  with 
a  never-ending  stock  of  stories,  many  of  which  were 
wonderfully  like  those  I  have  since  heard  while  sit- 

28 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  29 

ting  by  the  African  evening  fires."  Finding  the  re- 
sources of  his  farm  unable  to  support  a  large  family, 
the  grandfather  transferred  the  scene  of  his  story-tel- 
ling and  industry  to  Blantyre  Works,  a  large  cotton 
manufactory  on  the  Clyde  not  far  from  the  City  of 
Glasgow.  In  these  extensive  works  he  and  his  sons 
were  honorably  employed  by  the  proprietors.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  speak  of  Dr.  Livingstones  father 
and  mother  and  of  his  early  life  in  more  appropriate 
words  than  he  has  himself  used.     He  says  : 

"  Our  uncles  all  entered  his  majesty's  service  dur- 
ing the  last  French  war,  either  as  soldiers  or  sailors  ; 
but  my  father  remained  at  home,  and,  though  too 
conscientious  ever  to  become  rich  as  a  small  tea-deal- 
er, by  his  kindliness  of  manner  and  winning  ways 
he  made  the  heart-strings  of  his  children  twine  around 
him  as  firmly  as  if  he  had  possessed,  and  could  have 
bestowed  upon  them,  every  worldly  advantage.  He 
reared  his  children  in  connection  with  the  Kirk  of 
Scotland, — a  religious  establishment  which  has  been 
an  incalculable  blessing  to  that  country  ;  but  he  after- 
ward left  it,  and  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his 
life  held  the  office  of  deacon  of  an  independent  church 
in  Hamilton,  and  deserved  my  lasting  gratitude  and 
homage  for  presenting  me,  from  my  infancy,  with  a 
continuously  consistent  pious  example,  such  as  that 
the  ideal  of  which  is  so  beautifully  and  truthfully 
portrayed  in  Burns's  '  Cotter's  Saturday  Night.'  He 
died  in  February,  1856,  in  peaceful  hope  of  that 
mercy  which  we  all  expect  through  the  death  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour.  I  was  at  the  time  on  my  way 
below  the  Zumbo,  expecting  no  greater  pleasure  in 


JO  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

this  country  than  sitting  by  our  cottage-fire  and  tell- 
ing him  my  travels.     I  revere  his  memory. 

"  The  earliest  recollection  of  my  mother  recalls  a 
picture  so  often  seen  among  the  Scottish  poor — that 
of  the  anxious  housewife  striving  to  make  both  ends 
meet.  At  the  age  of  ten  I  was  put  into  the  factory 
as  a  '  piecer,'  to  aid  by  my  earnings  in  lessening  her 
anxiety.  With  a  part  of  my  first  week's  wages  I 
purchased  Ruddiman's  '  Rudiments  of  Latin/  and 
pursued  the  study  of  that  language  for  many  years 
afterward,  with  unabated  ardor,  at  an  evening  school, 
which  met  between  the  hours  of  eight  and  ten.  The 
dictionary  part  of  my  labors  was  followed  up  till 
twelve  o'clock,  or  later,  if  my  mother  did  not  inter- 
fere by  jumping  up  and  snatching  the  books  out  of 
my  hands.  I  had  to  be  back  in  the  factory  by  six  in 
the  morning,  and  continue  my  work,  with  intervals 
for  breakfast  and  dinner,  till  eight  o'clock  at  night.  I 
read  in  this  way  many  of  the  classical  authors,  and 
knew  Virgil  and  Horace  better  at  sixteen  than  I  do 
now.  Our  schoolmaster — happily  still  alive — was 
supported  in  part  by  the  company  ;  he  was  attentive 
and  kind,  and  so  moderate  in  his  charges  that  all  who 
wished  for  education  might  have  obtained  it.  Many 
availed  themselves  of  the  privilege ;  and  some  of  my 
schoolfellows  now  rank  in  position  far  above  what 
they  appeared  ever  likely  to  come  to  when  in  the 
village  school.  If  such  a  system  were,  established  in 
England,  it  would  prove  a  never-ending  blessing  to 
the  poor." 

In    this    happily-described    scene  of  his  boyhood, 
David  Livingstone  had  been  born  in  1815.     Hebe- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  3 1 

gan  this  occupation  of  a  "  piecer  "  in  the  cotton  works 
at  the  age  of  ten    years.     It  will  be  seen  from  the 
foregoing  quotations  that,  what  with  "  piecing,"  read- 
ing, and  studying,  the  ambitious  lad  did  not  leave 
many  hours  to  sleep.     He  says  he  read  everything 
that  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  except  novels,  scientific 
works  and  books  of  travels  being,  however,  his  special 
delight.     It  appears  that  his  father  was  of  opinion 
that  works  of  science  were  inimical  to  religion,  and 
insisted  upon  David's  reading  those  works  which  were 
supposed  to  be  the  most  conducive  to  his  religious 
education.     Upon  this  point  the  son  at  length  rose 
in  open  rebellion,  and  tells  us  that  the  last  applica- 
tion of  the  rod  to  him — from  which  we  may  infer 
that  the  parental  government  did  not  always  take  the 
form  of  moral  suasion — was  upon  his  refusal,  point- 
blank,  to  read  Wilberforces  "  Practical  Christianity." 
This  dislike  to  what  Dr.  Livingstone  calls  "  dry  doc- 
trinal reading  "  continued  for  several  years,  when  he 
discovered  a  number  of  religious  works  which  were  in 
themselves  interesting,  and  agreed  with  him  in  the  idea 
that  religion  and  science  were  not  hostile  to  each  other. 
Such    being    David     Livingstones    course    of  intel- 
lectual culture  during  boyhood  and  youth,  his  manu- 
al labor  continued  for  many  years  without  cessation, 
and  it  is  believed,  without  complaint.     It  cannot  be 
doubted  that  as  boy  and  youth,  he  was  a  good  "  hand" 
in  the  factory.     So  we  find   him  promoted  from  the 
situation   of  a  "piecer"  to  that  of  a  "spinner,"  the 
latter  being  a  position  at  once  less  laborious,  though 
requiring  more  skill,  and  better  paid.     His  moral  ed- 
ucation meantime  proceeded  apace.     This  it  will  be 
best  to  relate  in  his  own  language  : 


32  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

"  Great  pains  had  been  taken  by  my  parents  to  in- 
stil the  doctrines  of  Christianity  into  my  mind,  and  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the  theory  of  our 
free  salvation  by  the  atonement  of  our  Saviour  ;  but 
it  was  only  about  this  time  that  I  really  began  to  feel 
the  necessity  and  value  of  a  personal  application  of 
the  provisions  of  that  atonement  to  my  own  case. 
The  change  was   like  what  may  be  supposed  would 
take  place  were   it  possible  to  cure  a  case  of  color- 
blindness.    The  perfect  freeness  with  which  the  par- 
don of  all  our  guilt  is  offered  in   God's  book  drew 
forth  feelings  of  affectionate  love  to  Him  who  bought 
us  with   his   blood,  and  a  sense  of    deep  obligation 
to  Him  for  his  mercy  has  influenced,  in  some  small 
measure,  my    conduct  ever  since.     But  I  shall   not 
again  refer  to  the  inner  spiritual  life  which  I  believe 
then   began,  nor  do    I   intend  to    specify  with  any 
prominence    the  evangelistic    labors  to   which    the 
love  of  Christ  has  since  impelled  me.     This  book 
will  speak,  not  so  much  of  what  has  been  done,  as  of 
what  still  remains  to  be  performed  before  the  gospel 
can  be  said  to  be  preached  to  all  nations.     In  the 
glow  of  love  which  Christianity  inspires,  I  soon  re- 
solved to  devote  my  life  to  the  alleviation  of  human 
misery.     Turning  this   idea  over  in  my  mind,   I   felt 
that  to  be  a  pioneer  of  Christianity  in  China  might 
lead  to  the  material  benefit  of  some  portions  of  that 
immense  empire,  and  therefore  set  myself  to  obtain 
a  medical  education,  in  order  to  be  qualified  for  that 
enterprise." 

Young  Livingstone  pursued  his  medical  education 
in  a  manner  similar  to  that  which  had  characterized 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  35 

his  studies  theretofore.  He  continued  to  work  hard 
as  well  as  to  study  hard,  and  though  of  slender  phys- 
ical proportions,  he  certainly  had  a  vigorous  consti- 
tution, sustained  by  great  force  of  will.  He  found 
time  to  make  many  excursions  into  the  country  round 
about  his  home,  whereby  his  practical  knowledge  of 
botany  and  also  of  geology,  to  which  he  gave  much 
attention,  was  greatly  extended.  It  must  be  agreed 
that  Livingstone's  course  of  education,  general  and 
professional,  was  much  out  of  the  ordinary  track. 
He  appears  to  have  been  by  nature  broad-minded; 
catholic,  or  as  it  is  often  expressed,  liberal  in  view.  It 
was,  perhaps,  impossible  for  him  to  have  become,  at 
any  rate  in  the  age  in  which  he  was  fortunately  born, 
a  sectarian  in  religion  or  a  dogmatist  in  anything. 
He  might,  however,  have  become  more  inclined  to 
sectarianism  had  his  course  of  education  been 
marked  out  by  others  instead  of  almost  wholly  by 
himself.  His  success  in  classical,  general,  and  profes- 
sional knowledge,  is  one  of  many  illustrations  of  the 
gratifying  truth  that  a  boyhood  and  youth  of  hard 
manual  labor  may  be  so  employed  as  to  bring  about 
the  most  admirable  intellectual  culture  and  men  of 
prodigious  influence  in  directing  the  progress  of  the 
world.  It  appears  that  Dr.  Livingstone  himself,  after 
his  name  had  become  known  throughout  the  world, 
was  still  firmly  convinced  that  his  early  life  of  labor 
had  been  beneficial  to  him.  In  an  interesting  bit  of 
autobiography  he  remarks : 

"  My  reading  while  at  work  was  carried  on  by  plac- 
ing the  book  on  a  portion  of  the  spinning-jenny,  so 
that  I  could  catch  sentence  after  sentence  as  I  passed 

7, 


36  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

at  my  work ;  I  thus  kept  up  a  pretty  constant  study 
undisturbed  by  the  roar  of  the  machinery.  To  this 
part  of  my  education  I  owe  my  present  power  of 
completely  abstracting  the  mind  from  surrounding 
noises,  so  as  to  read  and  write  with  perfect  comfort 
amid  the  play  of  children  or  near  the  dancing  and 
songs  of  savages.  The  toil  of  cotton-spinning,  to 
which  I  was  promoted  in  my  nineteenth  year,  was 
excessively  severe  on  a  slim,  loose-jointed  lad,  but  it 
was  well  paid  for ;  and  it  enabled  me  to  support  my- 
self while  attending  medical  and  Greek  classes  in 
Glasgow  in  winter,  as  also  the  divinity  lectures  of 
Dr.  Wardlaw  by  working  with  my  hands  in  summer. 
I  never  received  a  farthing  of  aid  from  any  one,  and 
should  have  accomplished  my  project  of  going  to 
China  as  a  medical  missionary,  in  the  course  of  time, 
by  my  own  efforts,  had  not  some  friends  advised  my 
joining  the  London  Missionary  Society,  on  account 
of  its  perfectly  unsectarian  character.  It 'sends  neither 
Episcopacy,  nor  Presbyterianism,  nor  Independency, 
but  the  gospel  of  Christ,  to  the  heathen.'  This  ex- 
actly agreed  with  my  ideas  of  what  a  missionary  so- 
ciety ought  to  do  ;  but  it  was  not  without  a  pang 
that  I  offered  myself,  for  it  was  not  quite  agreeable 
to  one  accustomed  to  work  his  own  way  to  become 
in  a  measure  dependent  on  others  ;  and  I  would  not 
have  been  much  put  about  though  my  offer  had  been 
rejected. 

"  Looking  back  now  on  that  life  of  toil,  I  cannot 
but  feel  thankful  that  it  formed  such  a  material  part 
of  my  early  education ;  and,  were  it  possible,  I 
should    like  to    begin    life  over  again  in   the    same 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  37 

lowly  style,  and  to  pass  through  the  same  hardy 
training." 

Having  finished  his  medical  curriculum,  Living- 
stone presented  himself  for  examination,  having  pre- 
pared a  thesis  on  a  subject  which  required  the  use  of 
the  stethoscope  (an  instrument  for  the  examination 
of  the  chest),  on  which  account  he  had  to  go  through 
a  course  of  questions  and  experiments  longer  and 
more  severe  than  usual.  He  passed  the  ordeal  with 
entire  success,  however,  and  expresses  great  delight 
at  becoming  a  member  of  a  profession  "  which  is 
preeminently  devoted  to  practical  benevolence,  and 
which  with  unwearied  energy  pursues  from  age  to  age 
its  endeavours  to  lessen  human  woe." 

It  had  been  Dr.  Livingstone's  purpose  to  go  to 
China  as  a  Missionary.  He  hoped  to  gain  access  to 
that  empire  whose  vastness  appears  to  have  fascinat- 
ed his  imagination,  by  means  of  the  healing  art 
England  being  engaged  at  this  time,  however,  in 
the  "  opium  war"  with  China,  it  was  impracticable  for 
him  to  make  his  way  among  the  Celestials.  Where- 
fore he  remained  in  England  and  pursued  cer- 
tain theological  studies,  proficiency  in  which  he 
thought  would  greatly  aid  him  as  a  missionary. 
Meantime,  he  became  deeply  interested  in  Africa, 
through  the  labors  of  Dr.  Moffat,  who  had  long  been 
a  missionary  at  Kuruman,  and  who  at  this  time  was 
engaged  in  translating  the  Bible  into  the  language  of 
the  Bechuanas.  Accordingly,  Dr.  Livingstone,  in 
1840,  sailed  for  that  wonderful  country  which  has  be- 
come more  and  more  interesting  ever  since,  largely 
on  account  of  his  own  explorations  and  labors,  and 
the  almost  'marvelous  events  which  directly  and  indi- 
rect! v  have  ofrown  out  of  bis  career  in  Africa. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MISSIONARY   LIFE  IN    SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

Dr.  Livingstone's  Departure  from  Cape  Town  and  Journey  to  the  Missionary 
Station,  Kuruman — Proceeds  to  Shokuane,  the  Chief  Village  of  Sechele,  Chief 
of  the  Bakwains — Sketch  of  the  Chieftain's  Life  and  Character — Missionary 
Life — Characteristics  of  the  People — Graphic  Sketch  of  a  Combat  with  Lions 
— Many  Facts  about  the  "  King  of  Beasts." 

After  a  voyage  of  three  months,  Dr.  Livingstone 
reached  Cape  Town,  and  soon  afterwards  proceeded 
to  the  interior,  starting  inland  from  Algoa  Bay  whence 
he  had  gone  by  a  coastwise  journey.  At  this  time 
Kuruman,  in  the  territory  of  the  Bechuanas  was  a 
missionary  station  the  farthest  inland  from  Cape  Town. 
This  place  is  about  seven  hundred  miles  in  a  nearly 
northeastern  direction,  from  Cape  Town,  and  about 
five  hundred,  due  north,  from  Algoa  Bay.  The  route  of 
travel  from  either  place  is,  of  course,  farther.  From 
Algoa  Bay  Dr.  Livingstone  took  his  departure  in  the 
aboriginal  mode  of  travel,  or,  rather,  the  pioneer  mode, 
namely,  wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  The  journey  was 
tedious,  but  remaining  at  Kuruman  only  long  enough 
to  recruit  his  oxen,  Dr.  Livingstone  pushed  on  north- 
ward, not  halting  for  any  length  of  time  until  he  had 
reached  Shokuane,  where  he  met  Sechele,  a  noted 
African  chieftain,  exercising  great  power  among  the 
people  who  inhabit  what  is  called  the  Bakuena  or 
Bakwain  country.     He  was,  indeed,  sovereign  of  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  39 

tribe  of  Bakwains,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting Africans  of  whom  modern  explorers  give  us 
any  account. 

Sechele  was  descended  from  what  the  Africans 
would  call  an  illustrious  ancestry.  His  great  grand- 
father, Mochoasele,was  a  noted  traveller  and  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  to  tell  the  Bakwains  of  the  ex- 
istence of  white  men.  The  father  of  Sechele  was  also 
named  Mochoasele.  One  of  his  predominating  char- 
acteristics was  covetousnesss,  and  he  appears  espe- 
cially to  have  coveted  the  wives  of  other  chieftains. 
Because  he  had  taken  to  himself  many  of  the  wives 
of  his  under  chiefs  they  rebelled  against  him  and  put 
him  to  death.  His  children  were  spared  and  their  ad- 
herents called  in  the  aid  of  the  powerful  Sebituane, 
chief  of  the  Makololo,  far  to  the  northward.  Sebitu- 
ane, with  a  large  force  surrounded  the  principal  town 
of  the  Bakwains  by  night,  and  at  the  dawn  of  the  fol- 
lowing day,  proclaimed  that  he  had  come  to  revenge 
the  death  of  Mochoasele.  The  proclamation  was  ac- 
companied by  a  tremendous  beating  of  shields  and 
African  drums,  whose  rub-a-dub  is  rarely  stilled  in  the 
southern  and  central  protions  of  the  continent,  and 
the  Bakwains  fell  into  a  panic.  As  they  rushed  from 
the  town  pell-mell,  like  the  crowd  from  a  burning 
theatre,  many  were  taken  and  slain,  the  Makololo 
being  the  most  expert  of  all  Africans  in  throwing  the 
javelin.  The  children  of  the  murdered  chief  were  or- 
dered to  be  spared  by  Sebituane,  and  a  Makololo 
meeting  Sechele,  took  him  in  safe  custody  by  giving 
him  a  blow  over  the  head  which  rendered  him  insensi- 
ble.    The   usurper  being  put  to  death,  Sechele  was 


40  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

placed  in  power.  He  immediately  began  to  augment 
his  influence  and  render  his  chieftainship  secure  by 
marrying  the  daughters  of  his  under-chiefs,  of  whom 
he  forthwith  took  three  to  wife.  This  is  one  of  the 
usual  modes  adopted  in  Africa  for  perpetuating  the 
allegiance  of  a  tribe.  The  government  is  patriarch- 
al, each  man  being,  by  virtue  of  paternity,  chief  of 
his  own  children.  They  build  their  huts  around  his, 
and  the  greater  the  number  of  his  children  the  more 
his  importance  increases.  "  Hence,"  says  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone, "children  are  esteemed  one  of  the  greatest 
blessings,  and  are  always  treated  kindly."  In  the 
course  of  his  narrative  Dr.  Livingstone  relates  a 
number  of  incidents  illustrating  the  universal  affec- 
tion of  Africans  for  children. 

The  Chief  Sechele  had  thus  been  placed  at  the 
head  of  his  tribe  by  the  aid  of  Sebituane  not  long 
before  Dr.  Livingstone  reached  the  principal  town 
of  the  Bakwains.  It  was  here  that  the  great  explor- 
er held  his  first  public  religious  exercises.  Sechele 
was  present  an  attentive  listener.  But  not  disposed 
to  take  things  upon  trust,  he  asked  many  questions, 
and  was  particularly  anxious  to  know  why,  if  Dr. 
Livingstone's  forefathers  had  been  told  of  a  future 
judgment  his  forefathers  were  left  in  ignorance  and 
to  pass  away  into  darkness,  The  chief  was  im- 
pressed, however,  with  the  arguments  in  favor  of 
Christianity  and  at  once  went  to  work  learning  to 
read.  He  learned  the  alphabet  in  a  day,  and  very 
soon  began  to  read  in  the  Bible.  The  prophet  Isaiah 
was  his  favorite.  "  He  was  a  fine  man,  that  Isai- 
ah," Sechele  used   to  say;  "he  knew  how  to  speak." 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  4 1 


Perceiving  that  Dr.  Livingstone  was  anxious  for  the 
Africans  to  believe  in  Christianity,  Sechele  said  to 
him  one  day,  "  Do  you  imagine  these  people  will 
ever  believe  by  your  merely  talking  to  them  ?  I  can 
make  them  do  nothing  except  by  thrashing  them  ; 
and  if  you  like  I  shall  call  our  head  men  and  with 
our  litupa  (whips  of  rhinoceros'  hide)  we  will  soon 
make  them  all  believe  together."  Sechele,  in  fine, 
became  a  convert,  always  advocated  Christianity,  but 
was  greatly  troubled  as  to  how  to  get  rid  of  his  su- 
perfluous wives.  This  was  a  real  difficulty;  because 
he  could  not  put  them  aside  without  appearing  to  be 
ungrateful  to  their  parents  who  had  so  materially 
aided  him  in  his  adversity.  At  length  he  did  so, 
however,  and  with  great  natural  politeness  gave  each 
one  new  toilets  and  other  presents,  including  all  his 
own  goods  which  they  had  kept  for  him,  and  returned 
them  to  their  parents  with  the  message  that  he  had 
no  fault  to  find  with  them  but  wished  to  follow  the 
will  of  God.  He  remained  steadfast,  and  was  ever  a 
valuable  friend  and  aid  to  Dr.  Livingstone.  When 
first  known  he  was  tall  and  slender,  but  active  and 
strong.  His  studies  and  in-door  life  made  him  cor- 
pulent. About  the  time  Dr.  Livingstone  was  to  be- 
gin his  second  journey  into  the  interior,  and  while  at 
the  village  of  Kuruman  awaiting  repairs  to  his  wagon, 
Sechele's  town  of  Kolobeng  was  attacked  by  the 
Boers,  and  sacked.  The  discomfited  chief  sent  the 
following  account  of  the  affair  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mof- 
fat, at  Kuruman,  the  bearer  of  the  letter  being  Se- 
chele's wife  Masebele  : 

"  Friend  of  my  heart's  love,  and  of  all  the  confi- 


42  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

dence  of  my  heart,  I  am  Sechele.  I  am  undone  by 
the  Boers,  who  attacked  me,  though  I  had  no  guilt 
with  them.  They  demanded  that  I  should  be  in  their 
kingdom,  and  I  refused.  They  demanded  that  I 
should  prevent  the  English  and  Griquas  from  pass- 
ing (northward).  I  replied,  '  These  are  my  friends, 
and  I  can  prevent  no  one  (of  them).'  They  came  on 
Saturday,  and  I  besought  them  not  to  fight  on  Sun- 
day, and  they  assented.  They  began  on  Monday 
morning  at  twilight,  and  fired  with  all  their  might, 
and  burned  the  town  with  fire,  and  scattered  us. 
They  killed  sixty  of  my  people,  and  captured  women 
and  children,  and  men.  And  the  mother  of  Baleril- 
ing  (a  former  wife  of  Sechele)  they  also  took  prison- 
er. They  took  all  the  cattle  and  all  the  goods  of  the 
Bakwains  ;  and  the  house  of  Livingstone  they  plun- 
dered, taking  away  all  his  goods.  The  number  of 
wagons  they  had  was  eighty-five,  and  a  cannon ;  and 
after  they  had  stolen  my  own  wagon  and  that  of  Ma- 
cabe,  then  the  number  of  their  wagons  (counting  the 
cannon  as  one)  was  eighty-eight.  All  the  goods  of 
the  hunters  (certain  English  gentlemen  hunting  and 
exploring  in  the  north)  were  burned  in  the  town ; 
and  of  the  Boers  were  killed  twenty-eight.  Yes,  my 
beloved  friend,  now  my  wife  goes  to  see  the  children, 
and  Kobus  Hae  will  convey  her  to  you. 

"  I  am  Sechele, 

"  The  son  of  Mochoasele." 
This  disaster  to  Sechele  caused  a  considerable  de- 
lay in  Dr.  Livingstone's  departure  for  the  north  upon 
that  remarkable  expedition  which  has  become  so  cel- 
ebrated.    At  length,  however,  guides  were  procured, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  43 

and  the  journey  was  begun,  November  20,  1852. 
That  which  we  further  learn  of  the  intelligent  Sech- 
ele,  whom  misfortunes  of  the  severest  nature  were 
unable  to  dishearten,  is  thus  related  by  Dr.  Living- 
stone : 

"  When  we  reached  Motito,  forty  miles  off.  we  met 
Sechele  on  his  way,  as  he  said,  'to  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. Two  of  his  own  children,  and  their  mother,  a 
former  wife,  were  among  the  captives  seized  by  the 
Boers;  and,  being  strongly  imbued  with  the  then 
very  prevalent  notion  of  England's  justice  and  gen- 
erosity, he  thought  that  in  consequence  of  the  vio- 
lated treaty  he  had  a  fair  case  to  lay  before  her  maj- 
esty. He  employed  all  his  eloquence  and  powers  of 
persuasion  to  induce  me  to  accompany  him,  but  I  ex- 
cused myself  on  the  ground  that  my  arrangements 
were  already  made  for  exploring  the  north.  On  ex- 
plaining the  difficulties  of  the  way1,  and  endeavoring 
to  dissuade  him  from  the  attempt,  on  account  of  the 
knowledge  I  possessed  of  the  governor's  policy,  he 
put  the  pointed  question,  '  Will  the  queen  not  listen 
to  me,  supposing  I  should  reach  her  ?'  I  replied,  '  I 
believe  she  would  listen,  but  the  difficulty  is  to  get 
to  her.'  ■  Well,  I  shall  reach  her/  expressed  his  final 
determination.  Others  explained  the  difficulties  more 
fully,  but  nothing  could  shake  his  resolution.  When 
he  reached  Bloemfontein  he  found  the  English  army 
just  returning  from  a  battle  with  the  Basutos,  in 
which  both  parties  claimed  the  victory,  and  both 
were  glad  that  a  second  engagement  was  not  tried. 
Our  officers  invited  Sechele  to  dine  with  them,  heard 
his  story,  and  collected  a  handsome  sum  of  money  to 


44  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

enable  him  to  pursue  his  journey  to  England.  The 
commander  refrained  from  noticing  him,  as  a  single 
word  in  favor  of  the  restoration  of  the  children  of 
Sechele  would  have  been  a  virtual  confession  of  the 
failure  of  his  own  policy  at  the  very  outset.  Sechele 
proceeded  as  far  as  the  Cape ;  but,  his  resources  be- 
ing there  expended,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  his 
own  country,  one  thousand  miles  distant,  without  ac- 
complishing the  object  of  his  journey. 

"  On  his  return  he  adopted  a  mode  of  punishment 
which  he  had  seen  in  the  colony,  namely,  making 
criminals  work  on  the  public  roads.  And  he  has 
since,  I  am  informed,  made  himself  the  missionary  to 
his  own  people.  He  is  tall,  rather  corpulent,  and  has 
more  of  the  negro  feature  than  common,  but  has 
large  eyes.  He  is  very  dark,  and  his  people  swear 
by  '  Black  Sechele.'  He  has  great  intelligence,  reads 
well,  and  is  a  fluent  speaker.  Great  numbers  of  the 
tribes  formerly  living  under  the  Boers  have  taken 
refuge  under  his  sway,  and  he  is  now  greater  in  pow- 
er than  he  was  before  the  attack  on  Kolobeng." 

And  here  we  bid  farewell  to  "  the  Black  Sechele" 
trusting  that  his  wise  government,  incipient  states- 
manship among  the  tribal  Africans,  may  have  full 
development  worthy  of  its  interesting  and  auspiciqus 
beginning. 

The  foregoing  sketch  of  the  life  and  character  of 
this  singular  man  has  been  given  because  believed  to 
be  interesting  in  itself  and  because  one  may  hence 
get  a  glimpse  at  any  rate  of  the  people  among  whom 
Dr.  Livingstone  lived  and  labored  for  so  many  years. 
The  calamity  which  befel  Sechele  did  not  occur,  of 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  45 

course,  until  after  the  traveler  had  been  long  in  Africa. 
Meantime,  he  had  acquired  the  language  of  the  Bak- 
wains,  had  married  a  daughter  of  the  missionary,  Mr. 
Moffat,  and  had  become  the  father  of  several  child- 
ren. After  several  journeys  in  exploration  of  the 
country,  Dr.  Livingstone  finally  determined  to  se- 
lect "  the  beautiful  valley  of  Mabotsa"  as  the  site  of  a 
missionary  station,  and  thither  he  removed  in  1843. 
His  purchase  of  land  for  the  purposes  he  had  in  view 
was  the  first  instance  of  a  sale,  with  regular  transfer 
of  title,  which  had  occurred  in  that  country.  The 
price  paid  for  a  large  lot  was  five  pounds  sterling,  and 
it  was  stipulated  that  a  similar  piece  of  land  should 
be  allotted  to  any  other  missionary  at  any  other  place 
to  which  the  tribe  miofht  remove. 

It  were  needless  to  enter  into  the  details  of  Dr. 
Livingstones  missionary  life  among  the  Bakwains. 
His  relations  with  the  people,  he  tells  us,  were  simply 
relations  between  strangers.  His  influence  depended 
entirely  upon  persuasion.  He  disclaimed  having 
either  authority  or  power,  and  it  may  be  safely  con- 
cluded, from  the  beneficent  result  in  the  case  of 
Sechelc  and  the  improved  stage  of  civilization  and 
prosperity  to  which  he  brought  his  tribe,  that  his 
course  of  kindness  and  affection  was  also  the  course 
of  wisdom  Not  only  this,  but  the  influence  of  the 
missionaries  was  good  in  bringing  new  motives  into 
play  among  these  ignorant  people.  There  were  no 
less  than  five  instances,  during  Dr.  Livingstone's  so- 
journ at  Kolobeng,  of  the  prevention  of  war  through 
influences  which  may  be  claimed  as  wholly  Christian. 
The  people  in  general,  he  says,  were  slow  in  coming 


46  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

to  a  decision  on  religious  subjects ;  but  in  questions 
affecting  their  worldly  affairs  they  were  keenly  alive 
to  their  own  interests.  They  might  be  called  stupid 
in  matters  which  had  not  come  within  the  sphere  of 
their  own  observation,  but  in  other  things,  he  pro- 
ceeds to  say,  they  showed  more  intelligence  than  is 
to  be  met  with  in  our  own  uneducated  peasantry. 
They  are  remarkably  accurate  in  their  knowledge  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  goats,  knowing  exactly  the  kind  of 
pasturage  suited  to  each  ;  and  they  select  with  great 
judgment  the  variety  of  soil  best  suited  to  different 
kinds  of  grain.  They  are  also  familiar  with  the  hab- 
its of  wild  animals,  and  in  general  are  well  up  in  the 
maxims  which  embody  their  ideas  of  political  wis- 
dom. .  A  little  further  on,  Dr.  Livingstone  gives  a 
lively  account  of  what  may  be  called  his  private  life  : 
"  Our  house  at  the  river  Kolobeng,  which  gave  a 
name  to  the  settlement,  was  the  third  which  I  had 
reared  with  my  own  hands.  A  native  smith  taught 
me  to  weld  iron  ;  and  having  improved  from  scraps 
of  information  in  that  line  from  Mr.  Moffat,  and  also 
in  carpentering  and  gardening,  I  was  becoming  handy 
at  almost  any  trade,  besides  doctoring  and  preaching; 
and  as  my  wife  could  make  candles,  soap,  and  clothes, 
we  came  nearly  up  to  what  may  be  considered  as  in- 
dispensible  in  the  accomplishments  of  a  missionary 
family  in  central  Africa,  namely,  the  husband  to  be  a 
jack-of-all-trades  without  doors  and  the  wife  a  maid- 
of-all-work  within." 

But  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  missionary  life  in 
a  country  infested  by  large  numbers  of  beasts  of  prey 
would  at  all  times  pass  smoothly  on.  -  Indeed,  it  was 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  4/ 

not  long  after  Dr.  Livingstone  had  taken  up  his  abode 
at  Kolobeng,  that  he  took  part  in  a  lion  hunt,  in 
which  he  personally  had  an  encounter  with  one  ot 
the  beasts,  the  result  of  which  was  a  wound  which 
permanently  disabled  his  left  arm.  His  graphic  ac- 
count of  this  affair  presents  a  vivid  picture  of  one 
phase  of  African  life,  and  relates  besides  certain 
habits  and  characteristics  of  the  lion  which  will  be 
found  interesting  to  all  students  of  natural  history. 
Wherefore,  the  narative  bearing  upon  the  incident  is 
given  in  full : 

"  Here  an  occurrence  took  place  concerning  which 
I  have  frequently  been  questioned  in  England,  and 
which,  but  for  the  importunities  of  friends,  I 
meant  to  have  kept  in  store  to  tell  my  children  when 
in  my  dotage.  The  Bakatla  of  the  village  Mabotsa 
were  much  troubled  by  lions,  which  leaped  into  the 
cattle-pens  by  night  and  destroyed  their  cows.  They 
even  attacked  the  herds  in  open  day.  This  was  so 
unusual  an  occurrence  that  the  people  believed  that 
they  were  bewitched — '  given/  as  they  said,  '  into  the 
power  of  the  lions  by  a  neighboring  tribe.'  They 
went  once  to  attack  the  animals  ;  but,  being  rather  a 
cowardly  people  compared  to  Bechuanas  in  general 
on  such  occasions,  they  returned  without  killing  any. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  if  one  of  a  troop  of  lions 
is  killed,  the  others  take  the  hint  and  leave  that  part 
of  the  country.  So,  the  next  time  the  herds  were 
attacked,  I  went  with  the  people,  in  order  to  encour- 
age them  to  rid  themselves  of  the  annoyance  by  des- 
troying one  of  the  marauders.  We  found  the  lions 
on  a  small  hill  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length 


48  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

and  covered  with  trees.  A  circle  of  men  was  formed 
round  it,  and  they  gradually  closed  up,  ascending 
pretty  near  to  each  other.  Being  down  below  on  the 
plain  with  a  native  schoolmaster,  named  Mebalwe,  a 
most  excellent  man,  I  saw  one  of  the  lions  sitting  on 
a  piece  of  rock  within  the  now  closed  circle  of  men. 
Mebalwe  fired  at  him  before  I  could,  and  the  ball 
struck  the  rock  on  which  the  animal  was  sitting.  He 
bit  at  the  spot  struck,  as  a  dog  does  at  a  stick  or 
stone  thrown  at  him,  then,  leaping  away,  broke 
through  the  opening  circle  and  escaped  unhurt.  The 
men  were  afraid  to  attack  him,  perhaps  on  account  of 
their  belief  in  witchcraft.  When  the  circle  was  re- 
formed, we  saw  two  other  lions  in  it ;  but  we  were 
afraid  to  fire,  lest  we  should  strike  the  men,  and  they 
allowed  the  beasts  to  burst  through  also.  If  the 
Bakatla  had  acted  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country,  they  would  have  speared  the  lions  in  their 
attempt  to  get  out.  Seeing  we  could  not  get  them 
to  kill  one  of  the  lions,  we  bent  our  footsteps  toward 
the  village  :  in  going  round  the  end  of  the  hill,  how- 
ever, I  saw  one  of  the  beasts  sitting  on  a  piece  of 
rock  as  before,  but  this  time  he  had  a  little  bush  in 
front.  Being  about  thirty  yards  off,  I  took  good 
aim  at  his  body  through  the  bush,  and  fired  both 
barrels  into  it.  The  men  then  called  out,  '  He  is  shot! 
he  is  shot !'  Others  cried,  '  He  has  been  shot  by  an- 
other man  too  ;  let  us  go  to  him  ! '  I  did  not  see  any 
one  else  shoot  aj:  him,  but  I  saw  the  lion's  tail  erected 
in  anger  behind  the  bush,  and,  turning  to  the  people, 
said,  '  Stop  a  little,  till  I  load  again.'  When  in  the 
act  of  ramming  down  the  bullets,  I  heard  a  shout. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  49 

Starting,  and  looking  half  round,  I  saw  the  lion  just 
in  the  act  of  springing  upon  me.  I  was  upon  a  little 
height;  he  caught  my  shoulder  as  he  sprang,  and  we 
both  came  to  the  ground  below  together.  Growling 
horribly  close  to  my  ear,  he  shook  me  as  a  terrier 
dog  does  a  rat.  The  shock  produced  a  stupor  simi- 
lar to  that  which  seems  to  be  felt  by  a  mouse  after 
the  first  shake  of  the  cat.  It  caused  a  sort  of  dream- 
iness, in  which  there  was  no  sense  of  pain  nor  feeling 
of  terror,  though  quite  conscious  of  all  that  was  hap- 
pening. It  was  like  what  patients  partially  under  the 
influence  of  chloroform  describe,  who  see  all  the  op- 
eration, but  feel  not  the  knife.  This  singular  condi- 
tion was  not  the  result  of  any  mental  process.  The 
shake  annihilated  fear,  and  allowed  no  sense  of  hor- 
ror in  looking  round  at  the  beast.  This  peculiar  state 
is  probably  produced  in  all  animals  killed  by  the  car- 
nivora,  and,  if  so,  is  a  merciful  provision  by  our  be- 
nevolent Creator  for  lessening  the  pain  of  death. 
Turning  round  to  relieve  myself  of  the  weight,  as  he 
had  one  paw  on  the  back  of  my  head,  I  saw  his  eyes 
directed  to  Mebalwe,  who  was  trying  to  shoot  him  at 
a  distance  of  ten  or  fifteen  yards.  His  gun,  a  flint 
one,  missed  fire  in  both  barrels  ;  the  lion  immediately 
left  me,  and,  attacking  Mebalwe,  bit  his  thigh.  An- 
other man,  whose  life  I  had  saved  before,  after  he  had 
been  tossed  by  a  buffalo,  attempted  to  spear  the  lion 
while  he  was  biting  Mebalwe.  He  left  Mebalwe  and 
caught  this  man  by  the  shoulder,  but  at  that  moment 
the  bullets  he  had  received  took  effect,  and  he  fell 
down  dead.  The  whole  was  the  work  of  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  must  have  been  his  paroxysms  of  dying 


50  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

rage.  In  order  to  take  out  the  charm  from  him,  the 
Bakatla  on  the  following  day  made  a  huge  bonfire 
over  the  carcass,  which  was  declared  to  be  that  of  the 
largest  lion  they  had  ever  seen.  Besides  crunching 
the  bone  into  splinters,  he  left  eleven  teeth-wounds 
on  the  upper  part  of  my  arm. 

"  A  wound  from  this  animal's  tooth  resembles  a 
gun-shot  wound  ;  it  is  generally  followed  by  a  great 
deal  of  sloughing  and  discharge,  and  pains  are  felt  in 
the  part  periodically  ever  afterward.  I  had  on  a  tar- 
tan jacket  on  the  bccasion,  and  I  believe  that  it  wiped 
off  all  the  virus  from  the  teeth  that  pierced  the  flesh, 
for  my  two  companions  in  this  affray  have  both  suf- 
fered from  the  peculiar  pains,  while  I  have  escaped 
with  only  the  inconvenience  of  a  false  joint  in  my 
limb.  The  man  whose  shoulder  was  wounded  showed 
me  his  wound  actually  burst  forth  afresh  on  the  same 
month  of  the  following  year.  This  curious  point 
deserves  the  attention  of  inquirers." 

It  is  very  evident  that  Dr.  Livingstone  does  not 
hold  the  lion,  famed  as  the  king  of  beasts,  in  high 
respect.  He  might  almost  appear  to  hold  him  in  a 
certain  contempt,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  will 
carry  to  his  grave  the  inconvenient  evidence  of  the 
maned  brute's  power.  The  traveler  gives  a  full  account 
of  these  animals  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  his  "  Re- 
searches in  South  Africa."     He  says  : 

"When  a  lion  becomes  too  old  to  catch  game  he 
frequently  takes  to  killing  goats  in  the  villages  ;  a 
woman  or  child  happening  to  go  out  at  night  falls  a 
prey  too ;  and  as  this  is  his  only  source  of  subsistence 
now,  he  continues  it.     From  this   circumstance   has 


■     ■ 

■ 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  53 

arisen  the  idea  that  the  lion,  when  he  has  once  tasted 
human  flesh,  loves  it  better  than  any  other.  A  man- 
eater  is  invariably  an  old  lion ;  and  when  he  has 
overcome  his  fear  of  man  so  far  as  to  come  to  vil- 
lages for  goats,  the  people  remark,  ■  His  teeth  are 
worn,  he  will  soon  kill  men.'  They  at  once  acknowl- 
edge the  necessity  of  instant  action,  and  turn  out  to 
kill  him.  When  living  far  away  from  population,  or 
when,  as  is  the  case  in  some  parts,  he  entertains  a 
wholesome  dread  of  the  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari,  as 
soon  as  either  disease  or  old  a^e  overtakes  him  he 
begins  to  catch  mice  and  other  small  rodents,  and 
even  to  eat  grass ;  the  natives,  observing  undigested 
vegetable  matter  in  his  droppings,  follow  up  his  trail 
in  the  certainty  of  finding  him  scarcely  able  to  move 
under  some  tree,  and  dispatch  him  without  difficulty 
The  grass  may  have  been  eaten  as  medicine,  as  is 
observed  in  dogs. 

"That  the  fear  of  man  often  remains  excessively 
strong  in  the  carnivora  is  proved  from  well-authenti- 
cated cases  in  which  the  lioness,  in  the  vicinity  of 
towns  where  the  large  game  had  been  unexpectedly 
driven  away  by  fire-arms,  has  been  known  to  assuage 
the  paroxysms  of  hunger  by  devouring  her  own  young. 
It  must  be  added  that  though  the  effluvium  which  is 
left  by  the  footsteps  of  man  is  in  general  sufficient  to 
induce  lions  to  avoid  a  village,  there  are  exceptions  : 
so  many  came  about  our  half-deserted  houses  at 
Chonuane  while  we  were  in  the  act  of  removing  to 
Kolobeng,  that  the  natives  who  remained  with  Mra 
Livingstone  were  terrified  to  stir  out  of  doors  in  the 
evening. 

4 


54  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

"When  a  lion  is  met  in  the  daytime,  a  circumstance 
by  no  means  unfrequent  to  travelers  in  these  parts, 
if  preconceived  notions  do  not  lead  them  to  expect 
something  very  '  noble'  or  '  majestic,'  they  will  see 
merely  an  animal  somewhat  larger  than  the  biggest 
dog  they  ever  saw,  and  partaking  very  strongly  of 
the  canine  features:  the  face  is  not  much  like  the 
usual  drawings  of  a  lion,  the  nose  being  prolonged 
like  a  dog's  ;  not  exactly  such  as  our  painters  make 
it, — though  they  might  learn  better  at  the  Zoological 
Gardens, — their  ideas  of  majesty  being  usually  shown 
by  making  their  lion's  faces  like  old  women  in  night- 
caps. When  encountered  in  the  daytime,  the  lion 
stands  a  second  or  two,  gazing,  then  turns  slowly 
round  and  walks  as  slowly  away  for  a  dozen  paces, 
looking  over  his  shoulder,  then  begins  to  trot,  and 
when  he  thinks  himself  out  of  sight,  bounds  off  like 
a  greyhound.  By  day  there  is  not,  as  a  rule,  the 
smallest  danger  of  lions  which  are  not  molested  at- 
tacking man,  nor  even  on  a  clear  moonlight  night, 
except  when  they  possess  the  breeding  storge  (nat- 
ural affection  :)  this  makes  them  brave  almost  any 
danger ;  and  if  a  man  happens  to  cross  to  the  wind- 
ward of  them,  both  lion  and  lioness  will  rush  at  him, 
in  the  manner  of  a  bitch  with  whelps.  This  does  not 
often  happen,  as  I  only  became  aware  of  two  or  three 
instances  of  it.  In  one  case  a  man,  passing  where 
the  wind  blew  from  him  to  the  animals,  was  bitten 
before  he  could  climb  a  tree  ;  and  occasionally  a  man 
on  horseback  has  been  caught  by  the  leg  under  the  same 
circumstances.  So  general,  however,  is  the  sense  of 
security  on  moonlight  nights,  that  we  seldom  tied  up 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  55 

our  oxen,  but  let  them  lie  loose  by  the  wagons ; 
while  on  a  dark,  rainy  night,  if  a  lion  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, he  is  almost  sure  to  venture  to  kill  an  ox. 
His  approach  is  always  stealthy,  except  when  wound- 
ed ;  and  any  appearance  of  a  trap  is  enough  to  cause 
him  to  refrain  from  making  the  last  spring.  This 
seems  characteristic  of  the  feline  species ;  when  a 
goat  is  picketed  in  India  for  the  purpose  of  enabling 
the  huntsmen  to  shoot  a  tiger  by  night,  if  on  a  plain, 
he  would  whip  off  the  animal  so  quickly  by  a  stroke 
of  the  paw  that  no  one  could  take  aim  ;  to  obviate 
this,  a  small  pit  is  dug,  and  the  goat  is  picketed  to  a 
stake  in  the  bottom  ;  a  small  stone  is  tied  in  the  ear 
of  the  goat,  which  makes  hihi  cry  the  whole  night. 
When  the  tiger  sees  the  appearance  of  a  trap,  he 
walks  round  and  round  the  pit,  and  allows  the  hun- 
ter, who  is  lying  in  wait  to  have  a  fair  shot. 

"  When  a  lion  is  very  hungry,  and  lying  in  wait,  the 
sight  of  an  animal  may  make  him  commence  stalking 
it.  In  one  case  a  man,  while  steathily  crawling  to- 
ward a  rhinoceros,  happened  to  glance  behind  him, 
and  found  to  his  horror  a  lion  stalking  him;  he  only 
escaped  by  springing  up  a  tree  like  a  cat.  At  Lopepe 
a  lioness  sprang  on  the  after-quarter  of  Mr.  Oswell's 
horse,  and  when  we  came  up  to  him  we  found  the 
marks  of  the  claws  on  the  horse,  and  a  scratch  on 
Mr.  O.'s  hand.  The  horse,  on  feeling  the  lion  on  him, 
sprang  away,  and  the  rider,  caught  by  a  wait-a-bit 
thorn,  was  brought  to  the  ground  and  rendered  in- 
sensible. His  dogs  saved  him.  Another  English 
gentleman  (Captain  Codrington)  was  surprised  in 
the  same  way,  though   not  hunting  the  lion  at   the 


56  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

time,  but  turning  round  he  shot  him  dead  in  the  neck. 
By  accident  a  horse  belonging  to  Codrington  ran  away, 
but  was  stopped  by  the  bridle  catching  a  stump  ;  there 
he  remained  a  prisoner  two  days,  and  when  foimd 
the  whole  space  around  was  marked  by  the  footprints 
of  lions.  They  had  evidently  been  afraid  to  attack 
the  haltered  horse,  from  fear  that  it  was  a  trap.  Two 
lions  came  up  by  night  to  within  three  yards  of  oxen 
tied  to  a  wagon,  and  a  sheep  tied  to  a  tree,  and  stood 
roaring,  but  afraid  to  make  a  spring.  On  another 
occasion,  one  of  our  party  was  lying  sound  asleep  and 
unconscious  of  danger  between  two  natives  behind  a 
bush  at  Mashue  ;  the  fire  was  nearly  out  at  their  feet 
in  consequence  of  all  being  completely  tired  out  by 
the  fatigues  of  the  previous  day :  a  lion  came  up  to 
within  three  yards  of  the  fire,  and  there  commenced 
roaring  instead  of  making  a  spring :  the  fact  of  their 
riding-ox  being  tied  to  the  bush  was  the  only  reason 
the  lion  had  for  not  following  his  instinct  and  making 
a  meal  of  flesh.  He  then  stood  on  a  knoll  three 
hundred  yards  distant,  and  roared  all  night,  and  con- 
tinued his  growling  as  the  party  moved  off  by  day- 
light next  morning. 

"  Nothing  that  I  ever  learned  of  the  lion  would 
lead  me  to  attribute  to  it  either  the  ferocious  or  noble 
character  ascribed  to  it  elsewhere.  It  possesses  none 
of  the  nobility  of  the  Newfoundland  or  St.  Bernard 
dogs.  With  respect  to  its  great  strength  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  The  immense  masses  of  muscle  around 
its  jaws,  shoulders  and  forearms  proclaim  tremendous 
force.  They  would  seem,  however,  to  be  inferior  in  pow- 
er to  tKose  of  the  Indian  tiger      Most  of  those  feats  of 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  57 

strength  that  I  have  seen  performed  by  lions,  such  as 
the  taking  away  of  an  ox,  were  not  carrying,  but 
dragging  or  trailing  the  carcass  along  the  ground : 
they  have  sprung,  on  some  occasions,  on  to  the  hind- 
quarters of  a  horse,  but  no  one  has  ever  seen  them 
on  the  withers  of  a  giraffe.  They  do  not  mount  on 
the  hind-quarters  of  an  eland  even,  but  try  to  tear 
him  down  with  their  claws.  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Var- 
don  once  saw  three  lions  endeavoring  to  drag  down 
a  buffalo,  and  they  were  unable  to  do  so  for  a  time, 
though  he  was  then  mortally  wounded  by  a  two-ounce 
ball* 

"  In  general,  the  lion  seizes  the  animal  he  is  attack- 
ing by  the  flank,  near  the  hind-leg,  or  by  the  throat 
below  the  jaw.  It  is  questionable  whether  he  ever 
attempts  to  seize  an  animal  by  the  withers.  The 
flank  is  the  most  common  point  of  attack,  and  that 
is  the  part  he  begins  to  feast  on  first.  The  natives 
and  lions  are  very  similar  in  their  tastes  in  the  selec- 
tion of  titbits:  an  eland  may  be  seen  disemboweled 

*  This  singular  encounter,  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness,  happened  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  My  South  African  Journal  is  now  before  me,  and  I  have  got  hold  of  the  ac- 
count of  the  lion  and  buffalo  affair  ;  here  it  is : — '15th  September,  1846.  Oswell 
and  I  were  riding,  this  afternoon,  along  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo,  when  a  water- 
buck  started  in  front  of  us.  I  dismounted,  and  was  following  it  through  the  jungle, 
when  three  buffaloes  got  up,  and  after  going  a  little  distance,  stood  still,  and  the 
nearest  bull  turned  round  and  looked  at  me.  A  ball  from  the  two-ouncer 
crashed  into  his  shoulder,  and  they  all  three  made  off*.  Oswell  and  I  followed, 
as  soon  as  I  had  reloaded,  and  when  we  were  in  sight  of  the  buffalo,  and  gain- 
ing on  him  at  every  stride,  three  lions  leaped  on  the  unfortunate  brute  ;  he  bel- 
lowed most  lustily  as  he  kept  up  a  kind  of  running  fight,  but  he  was,  of  course, 
soon  overpowered  and  pulled  down.  We  had  a  fine  view  of  the  struggle,  and 
saw  the  lions,  on  their  hind-legs,  tearing  away  with  teeth  and  claws,  in  most 
ferocious  style.  We  crept  up  within  thirty  yards,  and,  kneeling  down,  blazed 
away  at  the  lions.     My  rifle  was  a  single  barrel,  and  I  had  no  spare  gun.     One 


58  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA, 

by  a  lion  so  completely  that  he  scarcely  seems  cut  up 
at  all.  The  bowels  and  fatty  parts  form  a  full  meal 
for  even  the  largest  lion.  The  jackal  comes  sniffing 
about,  and  sometimes  suffers  for  his  temerity  by  a 
stroke  from  the  lion's  paw,  laying  him  dead.  When 
gorged,  the  lion  falls  fast  asleep,  and  is  then  easily 
dispatched.  Hunting  a  lion  with  dogs  involves  very 
little  danger  compared  with  hunting  the  Indian  tiger, 
because  the  dogs  bring  him  out  of  cover  and  make 
him  stand  at  bay,  giving  the  hunter  plenty  of  time 
for  a  good  deliberate  shot. 

"  Where  game  is  abundant,  there  you  may  expect 
lions  in  proportionately  large  numbers.  They  are 
never  seen  in  herds,  but  six  or  eight,  probably  one 
family,  occasionally  hunt  together.  One  is  in  much 
more  danger  of  being  run  over  when  walking  in  the 
streets  of  London  than  he  is  of  being  devoured  by 
lions  in  Africa,  unless  engaged  in  hunting  the  animal. 
Indeed,  nothing  that  I  have  seen  or  heard  about  lions 
would  constitute  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  men  of  ordi- 
nary courage  and  enterprise. 


lion  fell  dead  almost  on  the  buffalo ;  he  had  merely  time  to  turn  toward  us, 
seize  a  bush  with  his  teeth,  and  drop  dead  with  the  stick  in  his  jaws.  The  sec- 
ond made  off  immediately  ;  and  the  third  raised  his  head,  coolly  looked  round 
for  a  moment,  then  went  on  tearing  and  biting  at  the  carcass  as  hard  as  ever. 
We  retired  a  short  distance  to  load,  then  again  advanced  and  fired.  The  lion 
made  off,  but  a  ball  that  he  received  ought  to  have  stopped  him,  as  it  went  clean 
through  his  shoulder-blade.  He  was  followed  up  and  killed,  after  having  charged 
several  times.  Both  lions  were  males.  It  is  not  often  that  one  bags  a  brace  of 
lions  and  a  bull-buffalo  in  about  ten  minutes.  It  was  an  exciting  adventure,, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  it.' 

"  Such,  my  dear  Livingstone,  is  the  plain,  unvarnished  account.  The  buffalo 
had,  of  course,  gone  close  to  where  the  lions  were  lying  down  for  the  day  ;  and 
they,  seeing  him  lame  and  bleeding,  thought  the  opportunity  too  good  a  one  to 
be  lost.  Ever  yours,  Frank  Vardon." 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  59 

"The  same  feeling  which  has  induced  the  modern 
painter  to  caricature  the  lion,  has  led  the  sentimen- 
talist to  consider  the  lion's  roar  the  most  terrific  of 
all  earthly  sounds.  We  hear  of  the  '  majestic  roar 
of  the  king  of  beasts.'  It  is,  indeed,  well  calculated 
to  inspire  fear  if  you  hear  it  in  combination  with  the 
tremendously  loud  thunder  of  that  country,  on  a 
night  so  pitchy  dark  that  every  flash  of  the  intensely 
vivid  lightning  leaves  you  with  the  impression  of 
stone-blindness,  while  the  rain  pours  down  so  fast 
that  your  fire  goes  out,  leaving  you  without  the  pro- 
tection of  even  a  tree,  or  the  chance  of  your  gun 
going  off.  But  when  you  are  in  a  comfortable  house 
or  wagon,  the  case  is  very  different,  and  you  hear 
the  roar  of  the  lion  without  any  awe  or  alarm.  The 
silly  ostrich  makes  a  noise  as  loud  ;  yet  he  never  was 
feared  by  man.  To  talk  of  the  majestic  roar  of  the 
lion  is  mere  majestic  twaddle.  On  my  mentioning 
this  fact  some  years  ago,  the  assertion  was  doubted, 
so  I  have  been  careful  ever  since  to  inquire  the  opin- 
ions of  Europeans,  who  have  heard  both,  if  they 
could  detect  any  difference  between  the  roar  of  a 
lion  and  that  of  an  ostrich ;  the  invariable  answer 
was,  that  they  could  not,  when  the  animal  was  at  any 
distance.  The  natives  assert  that  they  can  detect 
a  variation  between  the  commencement  of  the  noise 
of  each.  There  is,  it  must  be  admitted,  considerable 
difference  between  the  singing  noise  of  a  lion  when 
full,  and  his  deep,  gruff  growl  when  hungry.  In  gen- 
eral, the  lion's  voice  seems  to  come  deeper  from  the 
chest  than  that  of  the  ostrich ;  but  to  this  day,  I  can 
distinguish   between    them    with    certainty   only  by 


60  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

knowing  that  the  ostrich  roars  by  day  and  the  lion 
by  night. 

"The  African  lion  is  of  a  tawny  color,  like  that  of 
some  mastiffs.  The  mane  in  the  male  is  large,  and 
gives  the  idea  of  great  power.  In  some  lions,  the 
ends  of  the  hair  of  the  mane  are  black  ;  these  go  by 
the  name  of  black-maned  lions,  though,  as  a  whole, 
all  look  of  the  yellow  tawny  color.  At  the  time  of 
the  discovery  of  the  lake,  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Wilson 
shot  two  specimens  of  another  variety.  One  was  an 
old  lion,  whose  teeth  were  mere  stumps,  and  his  claws 
worn  quite  blunt ;  the  other  was  full  grown,  in  the 
prime  of  life,  with  white,  perfect  teeth :  both  were 
entirely  destitute  of  mane.  The  lions  in  the  country 
near  the  lake  give  tongue  less  than  those  farther 
south.     We  scarcely  ever  heard  them  roar  at  all. 

"The  lion  has  other  checks  on  inordinate  increase 
besides  man.  He  seldom  attacks  full-grown  animals ; 
but  frequently,  when  a  buffalo-calf  is  caught  by  him, 
the  cow  rushes  to  the  rescue,  and  a  toss  from  her 
often  kills  him.  One  we  found  was  killed  thus;  and 
on  the  Leeambye  another,  which  died  near  Sesheke, 
had  all  the  appearance  of  having  received  his  death- 
blow from  a  buffalo.  It  is  questionable  if  a  single 
lion  ever  attacks  a  full-grown  buffalo.  The  amount 
of  roaring  heard  at  night,  on  occasions  when  a  buffa- 
lo is  killed,  seems  to  indicate  there  are  always  more 
than  one  lion  engaged  in  the  onslaught. 

"  On  the  plain,  south  of  Sebituane's  ford,  a  herd  ot 
buffaloes  kept  a  number  of  lions  from  their  young  by 
the  males  turning  their  heads  to  the  enemy.  The 
young  and  the  cows  were  in  the  rear.     One  toss  from 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  6 1 

a  bull  would  kill  the  strongest  lion  that  ever  breathed. 
I  have  been  informed  that  in  one  part  of  India  even 
the  tame  buffaloes  feel  their  superiority  to  some  wild 
animals,  for  they  have  been  seen  to  chase  a  tiger  up 
the  hills,  bellowing  as  if  they  enjoyed  the  sport. 
Lions  never  go  near  any  elephants  except  the  calves, 
which,  when  young,  are  sometimes  torn  by  them ; 
every  living  thing  retires  before  the  lordly  elephant, 
yet  a  full-grown  one  would  be  an  easier  prey  than 
the  rhinoceros;  the  lion  rushes  off  at  the  mere  sight 
of  this  latter  beast." 

Dr.  Livingstone  afterwards  says,  however,  that  he 
saw  lions  above  Libonta,  which  roared  more  and 
louder  than  those  of  more  Southern  Africa ;  and  he 
makes  special  mention  of  seeing  two  which  were  as 
large  as  donkeys. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

LIVINGSTONE'S    FIRST   AND     SECOND    JOURNEYS  INTO  TUE 

INTERIOR. 

Departure  for  the  Central  Portion  of  South  Africa — Discovery  of  Lake  Ngami 
— Elephants — Journey  to  the  Country  of  the  Makololo — Their  Sovereign, 
Sebituane — A  Remarkable  Career — Discovery  of  the  River  Zambesi — The 
Slave  Trade — Return  to  Cape  Town — The  Tsetse  P'ly. 

During  all  these  years  of  missionary  labor,  first  at 
Shokuane,  and,  upon  the  abandonment  of  that  vil- 
lage, at  Kolobeng,  Dr.  Livingstone  had  made  explor- 
ations of  the  country  round  about,  and  had  become 
familiar  with  the  language,  manners,  and  customs  of 
those  dark-colored  people  who  were  in  most  respects 
so  different  from  those  anions  whom  he  had  been 
born,  reared,  and  educated.  It  might  appear  that 
the  traveler,  like  the  poet,  is  born,  not  made  by  edu- 
cation. Viator  nascitur,  non  fit,  is  as  amply  demon- 
strated by  the  examples  of  Columbus,  Gama,  Park, 
Marco  Polo,  Sir  John  Franklin,  Dr.  Livingstone,  and 
very  many  others,  as  the  original  quotation  is  by 
Homer,  or  its  author,  or  Shakespeare,  or  Miltjn  or 
any  of  the  rest  of  the  grand  old  masters, 


the  bards  sublime, 


Whose  distant  footsteps  echo 

Through  the  corridors  of  Time." 

Dr.  Livingstone's  genius  for  exploration  was  again 
gratified  on  the  ist  of  June,  1849,  when,  in  company 
with  two  noted  travelers,  Messrs.  Oswell  and  Mur- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  63 

ray,  who  had  joined  him  for  the  purpose,  he  set  out 
from  Kolobeng  in  search  of  Lake  Ngami.  The  ex- 
istence of  this  lake,  according  to  the  reports  of  na- 
tives, had  long  been  known,  but  its  exact  locality  had 
not  been  ascertained,  nor  had  it  ever  been  seen  by 
the  eye  of  any  white  man.  The  fact  of  the  existence 
of  the  lake  was  not  better  known  than  that  to  ap- 
proach it  must  be  a  task  of  great  difficulty  and  a 
thousand  perils. 

The  difficulties  and  perils  of  the  journey  chiefly 
lay  in  the  nature  of  the  country  lying  between  the 
explored  portions  of  South  Africa  and  the  lake.  To 
the  northward  of  the  country  of  the  Bechuanas  is  a 
vast  sterile,  dry,  and  most  uninviting  territory,  known 
as  the  Kalahari  Desert.  It  is  not  destitute  of  vege- 
tation or  inhabitants.  Indeed,  the  quantity  of  grass 
growing  on  these  trackless  plains  is  said  to  be  aston- 
ishing even  to  those  who  are  familiar  with  India,  of 
whom  Mr.  Oswell,  accompanying  Dr.  Livingstone  on 
this  journey,  was  one.  There  are  also  large  patches 
of  bushes  and  even  trees.  Great  herds  of  certain 
kinds  of  antelopes,  which  require  little  or  no  water, 
roam  over  the  flat  expanse.  It  is  inhabited  by  Bush- 
men and  Bakalahari,  who  subsist  on  game.  The  for- 
mer are  said  to  be  the  aborigines  of  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  continent,  the  latter  the  remnants  of  the 
first  emigration  of  Bechuanas.  Both  possess  an  in- 
tense love  of  liberty,  but  in  other  respects  are  greatly 
different  the  one  tribe  from  the  other.  For  whereas 
the  Bushmen  are  exceptions  to  Africans  generally  in 
language,  race,  habits,  and  appearance,  being  the  only 
real  nomads  in  the  country,  never    cultivating    the 


64  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

soil,  nor  rearing  any  domestic  animals  save  wretched 
dogs,  and  subsisting  almost  entirely  upon  game,  the 
Bakalahari  retain  the  Bechuana  love  for  agriculture 
and  domestic  animals.  They  regularly  hoe  their 
gardens,  which  produce  melons  and  pumpkins,  and 
carefully  rear  small  herds  of  goats,  though  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone has  seen  them  lift  water  for  these  animals 
out  of  little  wells  with  a  bit  of  ostrich  egg-shell  or 
by  spoonfuls.  They  carry  the  skins  of  animals  which 
they  kill  to  the  tribes  on  the  border  of  the  desert, 
and  exchange  them  for  their  simple  implements  of 
agriculture,  spears,  knives,  tobacco,  and  dogs.  Some 
of  these  skins  and  furs  are  much  valued. 

The  inhospitality  of  the  Desert,  its  terror  to  trav- 
elers, is  in  the  want  of  water.  There  are  several 
beds  of  rivers  in  the  vast  plain,  but  they  are  perfectly 
dry,  and  it  is  sometimes  three  and  even  four  days' 
journey  between  places  where  a  supply  of  water  for 
animals  can  be  had.  The  inhabitants  of  the  country 
are  forced  to  use  the  greatest  ingenuity  and  watch- 
fulness that  they  may  not  succumb  to  thirst.  At  one 
time  on  his  journey  through  the  Desert  Dr.  Living- 
stone's cattle  were  three  days  without  water.  At 
length,  upon  reaching  a  pool,  they  dashed  in  until  the 
the  water  was  deep  enough  to  be  nearly  level  with 
their  throats,  where  they  stood  drawing  slowly  in 
the  long,  refreshing  mouthfuls,  until  their  formerly 
collapsed  sides  distended  as  if  they  would  burst.  "So 
much  do  they  imbibe,"  says  the  narrative,  "  that  a 
sudden  jerk,  when  they  come  out  on  the  bank,  makes 
some  of  the  water  run  out  again  from  their  mouths/' 
It  will  readily  be  supposed  that  a  journey  through 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  65 

this  dry  desert,  with  the  sun  broiling  hot  by  day,  was 
accompanied  by  much  suffering  on  the  part  of  the 
explorers,  their  servants,  horses,  and  cattle. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  the  party  reached  the  Zouga 
river  at  a  point  opposite  a  village  inhabited  by  ne- 
groes who  seemed  to  be  closely  allied  to  the  Hotten- 
tots. Informed  that  the  river  came  out  of  Lake 
Ngami,  the  travelers  were  greatly  rejoiced,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  their  journey  near  the  river's  bank  with 
high  courage  and  hearty  enthusiasm.  Having  trav- 
eled thus  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  all  the  oxen  and 
wagons  of  the  expedition,  except  Mr.  Oswell's,  were 
left  at  the  village  of  Ngabisane,  and  the  party  pushed 
on  for  the  lake.  Twelve  days  afterwards  they  came 
to  the  north  east  end  of  Lake  Ngami,  and  on  August 
1st  the  whole  party  "  went  down  to  the  broad  part, 
and  for  the  first  time,  this  fine-looking  sheet  of  water 
was  beheld  by  Europeans."  The  lake  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Livingstone : 

"  The  direction  of  the  lake  seemed  to  be  N.  N.  E. 
and  S.  S.  W.  by  compass.  The  southern  portion  is 
said  to  bend  round  to  the  west,  and  to  receive  the 
Teoughe  from  the  north  at  its  northwest  extremity. 
We  could  detect  no  horizon  where  we  stood  looking 
S.  S.  W.,  nor  could  we  form  any  idea  of  the  extent  of 
the  lake,  except  from  the  reports  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  district ;  and  as  they  professed  to  go  round  it 
in  three  days,  allowing  twenty-five  miles  a  day  would 
make  it  seventy-five,  or  less  than  seventy  geograph- 
ical miles  in  circumference.  Other  guesses  have  been 
made  since  as  to  its  circumference,  ranging  between 
seventy  and  one  hundred  miles.     It  is  shallow,  for  I 


66  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

subsequently  saw  a  native  punting  his  canoe  over 
seven  or  eight  miles  of  the  northeast  end;  it  can 
never,  therefore,  be  of  much  value  as  a  commercial 
highway.  In  fact,  during  the  months  preceding  the 
annual  supply  of  water  from  the  north,  the  lake  is  so 
shallow  that  it  is  with  difficulty  cattle  can  approach 
the  water  through  the  boggy,  reedy  banks.  These 
are  low  on  all  sides,  but  on  the  west  there  is  a  space 
devoid  of  trees,  showing  that  the  waters  have  retired 
thence  at  no  very  ancient  date.  This  is  another  of 
the  proofs  of  dessication  met  with  so  abundantly 
throughout  the  whole  country.  A  number  of  dead 
trees  lie  on  this  space,  some  of  them  embedded  in 
mud,  right  in  the  water.  We  were  informed  by  the 
Bayeiye,  who  live  on  the  lake,  that  when  the  annual 
inundation  begins,  not  only  trees  of  great  size,  but 
antelopes,  as  the  springbuck  and  tsessebe  (Acronotus 
lunata),  are  swept  down  by  its  rushing  waters  ;  the 
trees  are  gradually  driven  by  the  winds  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  and  become  embedded  in  the  mud. 

"  The  water  of  the  lake  is  perfectly  fresh  when  full, 
but  brackish  when  low ;  and  that  coming  down  the 
Tamunak'le  we  found  to  be  so  clear,  cold  and  soft, 
the  higher  we  ascended,  that  the  idea  of  melting 
snow  was  suggested  to  our  minds.  We  found  this 
reigon,  with  regard  to  that  from  which  we  had  come, 
to  be  clearly  a  hollow,  the  lowest  point  being  Lake 
Kumadau;  the  point  of  the  ebullition  of  water,  as 
shown  by  one  of  Newman's  barometric  thermometers, 
was  only  between  207^°  and  2060,  giving  an  eleva- 
tion of  not  much  more  than  two  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.     We  had  descended  above  two 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  6j 

thousand  feet  in  coming  to  it  from  Kolobeng.  It  is 
the  southern  and  lowest  part  of  the  great  river  sys- 
tem beyond,  in  which  large  tracts  of  country  are 
inundated  annually  by  tropical  rains." 

The  chief  object  of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  going  to 
Lake  Ngami  was  to  visit  Sebituane,  the  great  chief 
of  the  Makololo,  who  was  said  to  live  some  two  hun- 
dred miles  beyond.  Nothwithstanding  great  exer- 
tions, however,  and  the  most  earnest  appeals  to 
Lechulatebe,  the  young  chief  of  a  half-tribe  of  the 
Bamangwato,  called  Batuana,  who  inhabit  this  part  of 
Africa,  he  was  unable  to  procure  guides,  and  was  re- 
luctantly compelled  to  return  to  Kolobeng. 

On  their  return,  Livingstone  and  party  passed 
down  the  Zouga  river.  He  pronounces  its  banks 
very  beautiful,  closely  resembling  those  of  the  Clyde 
above  Glasgow.  They  are  perpendicular  on  the  side 
to  which  the  water  swings,  and  sloping  and  grassy 
on  the  other.  The  trees  which  adorn  the  banks  are 
magnificent.  There  are  two  enormous  baobabs,  or 
mowanas,  near  the  confluence  of  the  lake  and  river, 
the  larger  of  which  measures  76  feet  in  girth.  The 
palmyra  also  appears  here  and  there.  The  mock- 
uchong  is  quite  plentiful.  It  bears  an  edible  fruit  of 
indifferent  quality,  but  the  tree  itself  is  said  to  be  very 
beautiful.  It  is  so  large  that  the  trunk  is  often  used 
for  constructing  canoes.  The  motsouri  is  a  species 
of  plum,  and  in  its  dark  evergreen  foliage  resembles 
the  orange-tree  and  the  cypress  in  its  form. 

The  sloping  banks  of  the  Zouga  are  selected  by 
the  natives  for  pit-falls  designed  to  entrap  wild  ani- 
mals as  they  come  to  drink.      These  pits  are  from 


68  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

seven  to  eight  feet  deep,  three  or  four  feet  wide  at  the 
mouth,  gradually  decreasing  until  they  are  only  about 
a  foot  wide  at  the  bottom.  The  mouth  is  an  oblong 
square,  and  the  long  diameter  at  the  surface  is  about 
equal  to  the  depth.  The  decreasing  width  in  the 
earth  is  intended  to  make  the  animal  wedge  himself 
more  firmly  in  by  his  weight  and  struggles.  The  pit- 
falls are  usually  in  pairs,  with  a  wall  a  foot  thick  be- 
tween the  two.  Thus  if  the  animal,  feeling  his  four 
legs  descending,  should  undertake  to  leap  forward,  he 
would  only  jump  into  the  second  pit  with  such  force 
as  to  insure  his  capture.  They  are  covered  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  the  earth  removed  so  that  no  sus- 
picion may  be  aroused  in  the  instinct  of  the  animals. 
They  are,  in  fact,  so  skilfully  made  that  several  of  the 
exploring  party's  men  fell  into  them  while  actually  in 
their  search  to  prevent  the  cattle  from  falling  in. 

There  are  vast  numbers  of  wild  animals  in  this 
region.  Among  them  was  discovered  a  new  species 
of  antelope,  called  leche  or  lechwi.  It  is  a  beautiful 
water-antelope  of  a  light  brownish-yellow  color,  with 
horns  rising  from  the  head  with  a  slight  bend  back- 
ward, then  curving  forward  toward  the  points.  It  is 
never  found  a  mile  from  water,  and  is  unknown  ex- 
cept in  the  central  humid  basin  of  Africa.  Having 
a  good  deal  of  curiosity,  it  presents  a  noble  appear- 
ance as  it  stands  gazing,  with  head  erect,  at  the  ap- 
proaching stranger.  When  beginning  to  escape,  it 
lowers  its  head,  lays  its  horns  down  to  a  level  with 
its  withers,  and  first  starting  on  a  waddling  trot,  soon 
begins  to  gallop  and  spring,  leaping  bushes  like  the 
pallahs.     It  invariably  runs  to  the  water  and  crosses 


■ 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  7 1 

it  by  a  succession  of  bounds,  each  of  which  appears 
to  be  from  the  bottom.  The  party  soon  tired  of  its 
flesh.  Countless  numbers  of  other  animals  were  seen, 
and  the  river  w«as  found  to  be  well  stocked  with  fish 
of  different  kinds,  while  alligators  were  plenty. 

The  number  of  elephants  in  this  region  was  aston- 
ishing even  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  who  had  often  before 
seen  them  in  herds  of  incredible  extent.  They  came 
from  the  southern  side  of  the  river  to  drink  in  pro- 
digious numbers.  They  are  smaller  than  the  ele- 
phants farther  south,  being  only  eleven  feet  high, 
whereas  at  the  Limpopo  they  are  twelve  feet  in  height. 
Still  farther  north  Dr.  Livingstone  afterwards  found 
them  to  be  only  nine  feet  high.  The  difference  of 
three  feet  in  height  between  animals  of  such  immense 
size  would  probably  give  to  the  larger  beast  a  quan- 
tity of  flesh  equal  in  weight  to  that  of  an  ordinary 
yoke  of  oxen.  The  elephants  are  very  sagacious  as 
to  the  pit-falls  of  the  country.  Old  elephants  pre- 
cede the  troops,  and  whisk  off  the  coverings  with 
their  trunks  all  the  way  to  the  river's  edge.  Instances 
have  been  known  in  which  the  old  animals  have  actu- 
ally lifted  the  young  out  of  the  trap.  They  come  to 
drink  by  night,  and  after  slaking  their  thirst — in  do- 
ing which  they  throw  large  quantities  of  water  over 
themselves,  screaming  all  the  time  with  delight — they 
evince  their  horror  of  pit-falls  by  setting  off  in  a 
straight  line  to  the  desert,  never  diverging  till  they 
are  eight  or  ten  miles  distant. 

The  journey  from  the  Zouga  to  Kolobeng  was 
performed  without  incident  requiring  particular  men- 
tion. 


J2  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

In  April,  1850,  Dr.  Livingstone  made  a  second  at- 
tempt to  visit  Sebituane,  chief  of  the  Makololo.     He 
was   accompanied   by    Mrs.    Livingstone,  the  three 
children,  and  Sechele,  chief  of  the  Bakwains.     Tak- 
ing a  route  somewhat  farther  eastward  than  the  one 
pursued  before,  the  party  in  due  time  though    not 
without  great  difficulties  in  traveling  along  the  north- 
ern bank  of  the  Zouga,  reached  Lake  Ngami.     After 
a  great  deal  of  diplomacy  with  Lechulatebe,  of  which 
chief  mention  has  already  been  made,  Dr.    Living- 
stone made  arrangements  for  guides  to  show  him  the 
way,  by  journey  on  ox-back,  to  the  country  of  Sebit- 
uane.    Just  as  he  was  ready  to  depart,  however,  his 
wife  and  children  all  fell  sick  with  the  African  fever, 
and  he  was  compelled  to  remain.     For  their  benefit 
he  returned  to  the  Desert,  and  actually  again  reached 
Kolobeng   before   the   sick   ones   had   become   well 
enough  to  make  the  journey.     During  their  conva- 
lescence at  home,  Dr.    Livingstone  made  a  trip  to 
Kuruman    and   return.     Upon    the    return,    on  that 
journey  which  was  successful   in  bringing  them  to 
Sebituane's  country,  the  whole  family  came  near  per- 
ishing of  thirst.     From  the  village  of  Nchokotsa  on 
the  Zouga,  their  present  route  was  northward,  so  that 
Lake  Ngami  was  left  far  westward.     There  are  here 
many   extensive   "  salt   pans,"   one    of  which,  called 
Ntwetwe,  is  fifteen  miles  broad  and  one  hundred  long. 
After  passing  this  singular  country,  the  route  lay  by 
the  river  Mahabe,  the  Sonta,  and  the  Chobe.     When 
Dr.  Livingstone  reached  Sesheke,  the  capital  town 
so  to  speak,  at  the  time,  of  the  Makololo,  he  and  his 
companions  had  traversed  deserts,  forests,  salt-pans, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  73 

and  swamps,  through  regions  abounding  in  ferocious 
wild  animals,  venomous  reptiles,  and  poisonous  in- 
sects, and  had  traveled  a  distance  of  more  than  a 
thousand  miles. 

Sebituane,  however,  hearing  of  the  white  men's 
coming — an  event  which  he  had  long  desired  and 
tried  to  bring  about — magnanimously  proceeded  a 
long  distance  to  welcome  his  visitors.  There  is 
scarcely  a  native  chief  of  Africa,  perhaps,  who  has 
had  a  more  remarkable  career  than  that  of  Sebituane. 
It  will  be  most  proper  to  give  the  account  of  his 
meeting  with  the  first  and  only  white  persons  he  ever 
saw,  and  the  graphic  sketch  of  his  life  in  the  words 
of  Dr.  Livingstone : 

"  The  Makololo  whom  we  met  on  the  Chobe  were 
delighted  to  see  us ;  and  as  their  chief,  Sebituane, 
was  about  twenty  miles  down  the  river,  Mr.  Oswell 
and  I  proceeded  in  canoes  to  his  temporary  residence. 
He  had  come  from  the  Barotse  town  of  Nalieledown 
to  Sesheke  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  white  men  being- 
in  search  of  him,  and  now  came  one  hundred  miles 
more  to  bid  us  welcome  into  his  country.  He  was 
upon  an  island  with  all  his  principal  men  around  him, 
and  engaged  in  singing  when  we  arrived.  It  was  more 
like  church  music  than  the  sing-song  e  e  e,  ae  ae  ae  of 
the  Bechuans  of  the  southland  they  continued  the 
tune  for  some  time  after  we  approached.  We  in- 
formed him  of  the  difficulties  we  had  encountered, 
and  how  glad  we  were  that  they  were  all  at  an  end 
by  at  last  reaching  his  presence.  He  signified  his  own 
joy,  and  added,  'Your  cattle  are  all  bitten  by  the 
tsetse,  and  will  certainly  die ;  but  never  mind,  I  have 


74  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

oxen,  and  will  give  you  as  many  as  you  need.'  We, 
in  our  ignorance,  then  thought  that  as  so  few  tsetse 
had  bitten  them,  no  great  mischief  would  follow.  He 
then  presented  us  with  an  ox  and  a  jar  of  honey  as 
food,  and  handed  us  over  to  the  care  of  Mahale,  who 
had  headed  the  party  to  Kolobeng,  and  would  now 
fain  appropriate  to  himself  the  whole  credit  of  our 
coming.  Prepared  skins  of  oxen,  as  soft  as  cloth, 
were  given  to  cover  us  through  the  night;  and  as 
nothing  could  be  returned  to  this  chief,  Mahale  be- 
came the  owner  of  them.  Long  before  it  was  day 
Sebituane  came,  and,  sitting  down  by  the  fire,  which 
was  lighted  for  our  benefit  behind  the  hedge  where 
we  lay,  he  narrated  the  difficulties  he  had  himself  ex- 
perienced when  a  young  man,  in  crossing  that  same 
desert  which  we  had  mastered  long  afterwards.  As 
he  has  been  most  remarkable  in  his  career  and  was 
unquestionably  the  greatest  man  in  all  that  country, 
a  short  sketch  of  his  life  may  prove  interesting  to 
the  reader. 

"  Sebituane  was  about  forty-five  years  of  age ;  of  a 
tall  wiry  form,  an  olive  or  coffee-and-milk  color,  and 
slightly  bald ;  in  manner  cool  and  collected,  and  more 
frank  in  his  answers  than  any  chief  I  ever  met.  He 
was  the  greatest  warrior  ever  heard  of  beyond  the 
colony ;  for,  unlike  Mosilikatse,  Dingaan,  and  others, 
he  had  led  his  men  into  battle  himself.  When  he 
saw  the  enemy,  he  felt  the  edge  of  his  battle-axe,  and 
said  *  Aha!  it  is  sharp,  and  whoever  turns  his  back  on 
the  enemy  will  feel  its  edge.'  So  fleet  of  foot  was  he, 
all  his  people  knew  there  was  no  escape  for  the  cow- 
ards, as  any  such  would  be  cut  down  without  mercy. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  75 

In  some  instances  of  skulking  he  allowed  the  indi- 
vidual to  return  home ;  then  calling  him,  he  would 
say,  '  Ah !  you  prefer  dying  at  home  to  dying  in  the 
field,  do  you?  You  shall  have  your  desire?'  This 
was  the  signal  for  his  immediate  execution. 

"  He  came  from  the  country  near  the  sources  of 
the  Litwa  and  Namagari  rivers,  in  the  south,  so  we 
met  him  eight  hundred  or  nine  hundred  miles  from 
his  birth-place.  He  was  not  the  son  of  a  chief,  though 
related  closely  to  the  reigning  family  of  the  Basutu ; 
and,  when  in  an  attack  by  Sikouyele,  the  tribe  was 
driven  out  of  one  part,  Sebituane  was  one  in  that 
immense  horde  of  savages  driven  back  by  the  Griquas 
from  Kuruman  in  1824.  He  then  fled  northward 
with  an  insignificant  party  of  men  and  cattle.  At 
Melita  the  Bangwaketse  collected  the  Bakwains, 
Bakatla,  and  Bahurutse,  to  'eat  them  up.'  Placing 
his  men  in  front,  and  the  women  behind  the  cattle,  he 
routed  the  whole  of  his  enemies  at  one  blow.  Hav- 
ing thus  conquered  Makabe,  the  chief  of  the  Bang- 
waketse, he  took  immediate  possession  of  his  town 
and  all  his  goods. 

"  Sebituane  subsequently  settled  at  the  place  called 
Litubaruba,  where  Sechele  now  dwells,  and  his  people 
suffered  severely  in  one  of  those  unrecorded  attacks 
by  white  men,  in  which  murder  is  committed  and 
materials  laid  up  in  the  conscience  for  a  future  judg- 
ment. 

"  A  great  variety  of  fortune  followed  him  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  Bechuana  country  ;  twice  he  lost 
all  his  cattle  by  the  attacks  of  the  Matabelle,  but  al- 
ways kept  his  people  together  and   retook  more  than 


?6  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

he  lost.  He  then  crossed  the  Desert  by  nearly  the 
same  path  that  we  did.  He  had  captured  a  guide, 
and,  as  it  was  necessary  to  travel  by  night  in  order  to 
reach  water,  the  guide  took  advantage  of  this  and 
gave  him  the  slip.  After  marching  till  morning,  and 
going  as  they  thought  right,  they  found  themselves 
on  the  trail  of  the  day  before.  Many  of  his  cattle 
burst  away  from  him  in  the  phrensy  of  thirst,  and 
rushed  back  to  Serotli,  then  a  large  piece  of  water, 
and  to  Mashue  and  Lopepe,  the  habitations  of  their 
original  owners.  He  stocked  himself  again  among 
the  Batletli,  on  Lake  Kamadau,  whose  herds  were  all 
of  the  long  horned  species  of  cattle.  Conquering  all 
around  the  lake,  he  heard  of  white  men  living  at  the 
west  coast ;  and,  haunted  by  what  seems  to  have 
been  the  dream  of  his  whole  life,  a  desire  to  have  in- 
tercourse with  the  white  man,  he  passed  away  to  the 
southwest  into  the  parts  opened  up  lately  by  Messrs. 
Galton  and  Anderson.  There  suffering  intensely 
from  thirst,  he  and  his  party  came  to  a  small  well. 
He  decided  that  the  men,  not  the  cattle,  should  drink 
it,  the  former  being  of  most  value,  as  they  could  fight 
for  more  should  these  be  lost,  In  the  morning  they 
found  the  cattle  had  escaped  to  the  Damaras. 

"  Returning  to  the  north  poorer  than  he  started, 
he  ascended  the  Teoughe  to  the  hill  Sorila,  and 
crossed  over  a  swampy  country  to  the  eastward. 
Pursuing  his  course  onward  to  the  low-lying  basin  of 
the  Leeambye,  he  saw  that  it  presented  no  attrac- 
tions to  a  pastoral  tribe  like  his,  so  he  moved  down 
that  river  among  the  Bashubia  and  Batoka,  who  were 
then  living  in  all  their  glory.     His  narrative  resem- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  77 

bles  closely  the  '  Commentaries  of  Caesar,'  and  the 
history  of  the  British  in  India.  He  was  always  forced 
to  attack  the  different  tribes,  and  to  this  day  his  men 
justify  every  step  he  took  as  perfectly  just  and  right 
The  Batoka  lived  on  large  islands  in  the  Leeambye 
or  Zambesi,  and,  feeling  perfectly  secure  in  their  fast- 
ness, often  allured  fugitive  or  wandering  tribes  on  to 
uninhabited  islets  on  pretense  of  ferrying  them  across 
and  then  left  them  to  perish  for  the  sake  of  their 
goods.  Sekomi,  the  chief  of  the  Bamangwatse,  was, 
when  a  child,  in  danger  of  meeting  this  fate ;  but  a 
man  still  living  had  compassion  on  him,  and  enabled 
his  mother  to  escape  with  him  by  night.  The  river 
is  so  large  that  the  sharpest  eye  cannot  tell  the  dif- 
ference between  an  island  and  a  bend  of  the  opposite 
bank;  but  Sebituane,  with  his  usual  foresight,  re- 
quested the  island  chief  who  ferried  him  across  to 
take  his  Seat  in  the  canoe  with  him,  and  detained 
him  by  his  side  till  all  his  people  and  cattle  were 
safely  landed.  The  whole  Batoka  country  was  then 
densely  populated,  and  they  had  a  curious  taste  for 
ornamenting  their  villages  with  the  skulls  of  strang- 
ers. When  Sebituane  appeared  near  the  Great  falls, 
an  immense  army  collected  to  make  trophies  of  the 
Makololo  skulls  ;  but  instead  of  succeeding  in  this, 
they  gave  him  a  good  excuse  for  conquering  them, 
and  capturing  so  many  cattle  that  his  people  were 
quite  incapable  of  taking  any  note  of  the  sheep  and 
goats.  He  overran  all  the  high  lands  toward  the 
Kafue,  and  settled  in  what  is  called  a  pastoral  coun- 
try* of  gentle  undulating  plains,  covered  with  short 


78  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

grass  and  but  little  forest.  The  Makololo  have  never 
lost  their  love  for  this  fine,  healthy  region. 

41  But  the  Matebele,  a  Caffrae  or  Zulu  tribe,  under 
Mosilikatse,  crossed  the  Zambesi,  and,  attacking  Se- 
bituane  in  this  choice  spot,  captured  his  cattle  and 
women.  Rallying  his  men,  he  followed  and  recap- 
tured the  whole.  A  fresh  attack  was  also  repulsed, 
and  Sebituane  thought  of  going  farther  down  the 
Zambesi,  to  the  country  of  the  white  men.  He  had 
an  idea,  whence  imbibed  I  never  could  learn,  that  if 
he  had  a  cannon  he  might  live  in  peace.  He  had  led 
a  life  of  war,  yet  no  one  apparently  desired  peace 
more  than  he  did. 

"  Sebituane  had  now  not  only  conquered  all  the 
black  tribes  over  an  immense  tract  of  country  but 
had  made  himself  dreaded  even  by  the  terrible  Mo- 
silikatse. He  never  could  trust  this  ferocious  chief, 
however,  and,  as  the  Batoka  on  the  islands  had  been 
guilty  of  ferrying  his  enemies  across  the  Zambesi,  he 
made  a  rapid  descent  upon  them,  and  swept  them  all 
out  of  their  island  fastnesses.  He  thus  unwittingly 
performed  a  good  service  to  the  country  by  com- 
pletely breaking  down  the  old  system  which  pre- 
vented trade  from  penetrating  into  the  great  central 
valley.  Of  the  chiefs  who  escaped,  he  said,  '  They 
loved  Mosilikatse,  let  them  live  with  him  ;  the  Zam- 
besi is  my  line  of  defense ;'  and  men  were  placed  all 
along  it  as  sentinels.  When  he  heard  of  our  wish  to 
visit  him,  he  did  all  he  could  to  assist  our  approach. 
Sechele,  Sekomi,  and  Lechulatebe  owed  their  lives 
to  his  clemency;  and  the  latter  might  have  paid 
dearly    for    his    obstructiveness.      Sebituane    knew 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  79 

everything  that  had  happened  in  the  country,  for  he 
had  the  art  of  gaining  the  affections  both  of  his  own 
people  and  that  of  strangers.  When  a  party  of  poor 
men  came  to  his  town  to  sell  their  hoes  or  skins,  no 
matter  how  ungainly  they  might  be,  he  soon  knew 
them  all.  A  company  of  these  indigent  strangers, 
sitting  far  apart  from  the  Makololo  gentlemen  around 
the  chief,  would  be  surprised  to  see  him  come  alone 
to  them,  and  sitting  down,  inquire  if  they  were  hun- 
gry. He  would  order  an  attendant  to  bring  meal, 
milk,  and  honey,  and,  mixing  them  in  their  sight,  in 
order  to  remove  any  suspicion  from  their  minds, 
make  them  feast  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  their 
lives,  on  a  lordly  dish.  Delighted  beyond  measure 
with  his  affability  and  liberality,  they  felt  their  hearts 
warm  toward  him  and  gave  him  all  the  information 
in  their  power ;  and  as  he  never  allowed  a  party  of 
strangers  to  go  away  without  giving  every  one  of 
them,  servants  and  all,  a  present,  his  praises  were 
sounded  far  and  wide.  '  He  has  a  heart !  he  is  wise!' 
were  the  usual  expressions  we  heard  before  we  saw 
him. 

"  He  was  much  pleased  with  the  proof  of  confidence 
we  had  shown  in  bringing  our  children,  and  promised 
to  take  us  to  see  his  country,  so  that  we  might  choose 
a  part  in  which  to  locate  ourselves.  Our  plan  was, 
that  I  should  remain  in  the  pursuit  of  my  objects  as 
a  missionary,  while  Mr.  Oswell  explored  the  Zambesi 
to  the  east.  Poor  Sebituane,  however,  just  after  re- 
alizing what  he  had  so  long  ardently  desired,  fell  sick 
of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  which  originated  in  and 
extended  from  an  old  wound  got  at  Melita.     I  saw 


80  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

his  danger,  but,  being  a  stranger,  I  feared  to  treat  him 
medically,  lest,  in  the  event  of  his  death,  I  should  be 
blamed  by  his  people.  I  mentioned  this  to  one  of 
his  doctors,  who  said,  '  Your  fear  is  prudent  and  wise  : 
this  people  would  blame  you/  He  had  been  cured 
of  this  complaint,  during  the  year  before,  by  the  Ba- 
rotse  making  a  lar^e  number  of  free  incisions  in  the 
chest.  The  Makololo  doctors,  on  the  other  hand,  now 
scarcely  cut  the  skin.  On  the  Sunday  afternoon  in 
which  he  died,  when  our  usual  religious  service  was 
over,  I  visited  him  with  my  little  boy  Robert.  '  Come 
near,'  said  Sebituane,  ■  and  see  if  I  am  any  longer  a 
man.  I  am  done.'  He  was  thus  sensible  of  the 
dangerous  nature  of  his  disease ;  so  I  ventured  to  as- 
sent, and  added  a  single  sentence  regarding  hope  af- 
ter death.  '  Why  do  you  speak  of  death  ?'  said  one 
of  a  relay  of  fresh  doctors ;  '  Sebituane  will  never  die.' 
If  I  had  persisted,  the  impression  would  have  been 
produced  that  by  speaking  about  it  I  wished  him  to 
die.  After  sitting  with  him  some  time,  and  commend- 
ing him  to  the  mercy  of  God,  I  rose  to  depart,  when 
the  dying  chieftain,  raising  himself  up  a  little  from 
his  prone  position,  called  a  servant,  and  said, '  Take 
Robert  to  Maunku,  (one  of  his  wives,)  and  tell  her  to 
give  him  some  milk.'  These  were  the  last  words  of 
Sebituane. 

u  We  were  not  informed  of  his  death  until  the  next 
day.  The  burial  of  a  Bechuana  chief  takes  place  in 
his  cattle-pen,  and  all  the  cattle  are  driven  for  an 
hour  or  two  around  and  over  the  grave,  so  that  it  may 
be  quite  obliterated.  We  went  and  spoke  to  the 
people,  advising  them  to  keep  together  and  support 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  8 1 

the  heir.  They  took  this  kindly  ;  and  in  turn  told  us 
not  to  be  alarmed,  for  they  would  not  think  of  ascrib- 
ing the  death  of  their  chief  to  us ;  that  Sebituane  had 
just  gone  the  way  of  his  fathers ;  and,  though  the 
father  had  gone,  he  had  left  children,  and  they  hoped 
that  we  would  be  as  friendly  to  his  children  as  we  in- 
tended to  have  been  to  himself. 

"  He  was  decidedly  the  best  specimen  of  a  native 
chief  I  ever  met.  I  never  felt  so  much  grieved  by 
the  loss  of  a  black  man  before  ;  and  it  was  impossible 
not  to  follow  him  in  thought  into  the  world  of  which 
he  had  just  heard  before  he  was  called  away,  and  to 
realize  somewhat  of  the  feelings  of  those  who  pray 
for  the  dead.  The  deep,  dark  question  of  what  is  to 
become  of  such  as  he  must,  however,  be  left  where  we 
find  it,  believing  that,  assuredly,  the  'Judge  of  all  the 
earth  will  do  right.'" 

Upon  the  death  of  this  remarkable  man,  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Makololo  devolved  upon  a  daughter 
named  Ma-mochisane.  The  explorers  now  had  to 
look  to  her  for  permission  to  traverse  the  country  as 
they  desired.  She  gave  them  perfect  liberty  to  visit 
any  part  of  the  country  they  chose.  In  the  exercise 
thereof,  Mr.  Oswell  and  Dr.  Livingstone  proceeded 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  to  the  northeast,  to 
Sesheke,  and  toward  the  end  of  June  discovered  the 
Zambesi  river  in  the  centre  of  the  continent,  where  it 
had  not  been  previously  known  to  exist  at  all.  It  is 
a  magnificent  stream,  navigable  from  the  bars  inside 
the  delta  to  Victoria  Falls,  discovered  by  Dr.  Living- 
stone, a  distance  of  940  miles,  and  above  them  for 
nearly  400  miles  more.  Victoria  Falls  are  about  forty 


82  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Chobe.  Here  the  river, 
about  half  a  mile  wide,  rushes  over  a  precipice  ioo 
feet  in  height,  and  suddenly  turning  almost  at  a  right 
angle,  flows  for  some  thirty  miles  between  two  walls 
of  rock  not  more  than  twenty  yards  apart.  Here  the 
river  sometimes  rises  perpendicularly  more  than  sixty 
feet.  The  entire  length  of  the  river  is,  perhaps,  about 
1,500  miles. 

The  discovery  of  the  Zambesi  in  central  South 
Africa,  and  the  acquaintance  formed  with  Sebituane, 
and  the  consequent  good  will  of  the  powerful  and 
numerous  Makololo  were  the  great  events  of  this 
expedition,  making  it  one  of  the  most  important 
which  had  yet  been  made  by  African  explorers. 

As  these  were  the  first  white  men  who  had  ever 
penetrated  this  country  they  were  visited  by  great 
numbers  of  natives.  Among  the  visitors  were  sev- 
eral who  were  clothed  in  stuff  which  had  come  from 
the  Portuguese  on  the  western  coast.  Upon  inquiry, 
it  was  discovered  that  these  goods  had  been  pur- 
chased from  a  tribe  called  Mambari,  far  distant,  in  ex- 
change for  boys.  The  tribe  of  Makololo  had  begun 
the  slave  trade  only  in  1850,  and  then  under  the  great 
temptation  of  procuring  muskets  in  exchange  for 
boys.  These  were  always  captives,  and  Dr.  Living- 
stone testifies  that  he  never  knew  an  instance  in  Af- 
rica where  a  parent  had  sold  his  own  offspring. 

Unable  at  this  time  to  procure  a  healthy  location 
for  the  site  of  a  missionary  station  in  the  Makololo 
country,  Dr.  Livingstone  determined  to  send  his  fam- 
ily to  England,  and  himself  to  undertake  a  new  ex- 
pedition in  this  behalf.     He  accordingly  returned  with 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  8$ 

his  family,  reaching  Cape  Town  in  April,  1852,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  eleven  years  visiting  the  scenes 
of  civilization.  Having  placed  his  family  on  board  a 
homeward-bound  ship,  he  at  once  began  preparations 
for  that  journey  across  the  continent  in  two  directions, 
which  has  immortalized  his  name  and  added  immense- 
ly to  the  world's  stock  of  knowledge. 

One  of  the  greatest  scourges  to  explorers  in  South 
Africa,  often  mentioned  by  Livingstone,  makes  an 
additional  illustration  of  the  contradictory  •character 
of  that  continent.  Whilst  it  is  summer  pretty  much 
everywhere  else,  inhabited  by  people  who  are  civil- 
ized, it  is  winter  there.  The  gradations  of  heat  and 
cold  appear  to  go  the  wrong  way.  One  would  nat- 
urally suppose  that  the  immense  troops  of  elephants 
might  overrun  the  country.  They  are  harmless. 
But  a  little  insect,  smaller  than  the  honey  bee,  is  so 
great  an  enemy  to  man  that  it  must  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed before  the  country  can  be  cultivated  by  the 
agriculturist,  or  inhabited  by  people  for  whom  the 
domestic  animals  are  necessary.  This  is  the  Tsetse 
Fly,  whose  bite  is  certain  death  to  horses,  cattle,  and 
other  animals,  though  harmless  to  man  and  wild 
beasts.  Dr.  Livingstone  thus  describes  this  fearful 
pest : 

"A  few  remarks  on  the  Tsetse,  or  Glossina  morsitans, 
may  here  be  appropriate.  It  is  not  much  larger  than 
the  common  house-fly,  and  is  nearly  of  the  same 
brown  color  as  the  common  honey-bee ;  the  after-part 
of  the  body  has  three  or  four  yellow  bars  across  it ; 
the  wings  project  beyond  this  part  considerably,  and 
it  is  remarkably  alert,  avoiding  most  dexterously  all 


84  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

attempts  to  catch  it  with  the  hand  at  common  temper- 
atures ;  in  the  cool  of  the  mornings  and  evenings  it 
is  less  agile.  Its  peculiar  buzz  when  once  heard  can 
never  be  forgotten  by  the  traveler  whose  means  of 
locomotion  are  domestic  animals  ;  for  it  is  well  known 
that  the  bite  of  this  poisonous  insect  is  certain  death 
to  the  ox,  horse,  and  dog.  In  this  journey,  though 
we  were  not  aware  of  any  great  number  having  at 
any  time  lighted  on  our  cattle,  we  lost  forty-three  fine 
oxen  by  ks  bite.  We  watched  the  animals  carefully, 
and  believe  that  not  a  score  of  flies  were  ever  upon 
them. 

"  A  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  bite  of  the  tsetse 
is  its  perfect  harmlessness  in  man  and  wild  animals, 
and  even  calves,  so  long  as  they  continue  to  suck  the 
cow.  We  never  experienced  the  slightest  injury  from 
them  ourselves,  personally,  although  we  lived  two 
months  in  their  habitat,  which  was  in  this  case  as 
sharply  defined  as  in  many  others,  for  the  south  bank 
of  the  Chobe  was  infested  by  them,  and  the  northern 
bank,  where  our  cattle  were  placed,  only  fifty  yards 
distant,  contained  not  a  single  specimen.  This  was 
the  more  remarkable  as  we  often  saw  natives  carry- 
ing over  raw  meat  to  the  opposite  bank  with  many 
tsetse  settled  upon  it. 

"  The  poison  does  not  seem  to  be  injected  by  a  sting, 
or  by  ova  placed  beneath  the  skin  ;  for,  when  one  is. 
allowed  to  feed  freely  on  the  hand,  it  is  seen  to  in- 
sert the  middle  prong  of  three  portions,  into  which 
the  proboscis  divides,  somewhat  deeply  into  the  true 
skin  ;  it  then  draws  it  out  a  little  way,  and  it  assumes 
a  crimson  color  as  the  mandibles  come   into  brisk 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  85 

operation.  The  previously-shrunken  belly  swells  out, 
and,  if  left  undisturbed,  the  fly  quietly  departs  when 
it  is  full.  A  slight  itching  irritation  follows,  but  not 
more  than  in  the  bite  of  a  mosquito.  In  the  ox  this 
same  bite  produces  no  more  immediate  effects  than 
in  man.  It  does  not  startle  him  as  the  gad-fly  does; 
but  a  few  days  afterward  the  following  symptoms 
supervene :  the  eye  and  nose  begin  to  run,  the  coat 
stares  as  if  the  animal  were  cold,  a  swelling  appears 
under  the  jaw  and  sometimes  at  the  navel ;  and, 
though  the  animal  continues  to  graze,  emaciation 
commences,  accompanied  with  a  peculiar  flaccidity  of 
the  muscles,  and  this  proceeds  unchecked  until,  per- 
haps months  afterward,  purging  comes  on,  and  the 
animal,  no  longer  able  to  graze,  perishes  in  a  state 
of  extreme  exhaustion.  Those  which  are  in  good 
condition  often  perish  soon  after  the  bite  is  inflicted, 
with  staggering  and  blindness,  as  if  the  brain  were  af- 
fected by  it.  Sudden  changes  of  temperature  pro- 
duced by  falls  of  rain  seem  to  hasten  the  progress 
of  the  complaint ;  but,  in  general,  the  emaciation 
goes  on  uninterruptedly  for  months,  and,  do  what  we 
will,  the  poor  animals  perish  miserably. 

"  When  opened,  the  cellular  tissue  on  the  surface  of 
the  body  beneath  the  skin  is  seen  to  be  injected  with 
air,  as  if  a  quantity  of  soap-bubbles  were  scattered 
over  it,  or  a  dishonest,  awkward  butcher  had  been 
trying  to  make  it  look  fat.  The  fat  is  of  a  greenish- 
yellow  color  and  of  an  oily  consistence.  All  the 
muscles  are  flabby,  and  the  head  often  so  soft  that 
the  fingers  may  be  made  to  meet  through  it.  The 
lungs  and  liver  partake  of  the  disease.     The  stomach 


86  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

and  bowels  are  pale  and  empty,  and  the  gall-bladder 
is  distended  with  bile. 

"  The  mule,  ass,  and  goat  enjoy  the  same  immunity 
from  the  tsetse  as  man  and  game.  Many  large  tribes 
on  the  Zambesi  can  keep  no  domestic  animals  except 
the  goat,  in  consequence  of  the  scourge  existing  in 
their  country.  Our  children  were  frequently  bitten, 
yet  suffered  no  harm ;  and  we  saw  around  us  num- 
bers of  zebras,  buffaloes,  pigs,  pallahs  and  other  ante- 
lopes, feeding  quietly  in  the  very  habitat  of  the  tsetse, 
yet  as  undisturbed  by  its  bite  as  oxen  are  when  they 
first  receive  the  fatal  poison." 

This  insect  has  been  classed  by  different  natural- 
ists as  the  same  as  the  zimb  of  Bruce,  and  the  zebub 
in  Hebrew.  The  Marquis  of  Spineto  identifies  the 
zimb  with  the  dog-fly  of  the  Greeks,  with  the  flies 
under  different  names  of  other  countries,  and  with 
the  arob  of  Scripture,  the  fly  which  caused  the  fourth 
of  the  plagues  of  Egypt.  The  Portuguese  in  Africa 
believe  that  the  tsetse  lives  only  in  regions  where 
there  are  elephants,  and  that  upon  the  extermination 
of  those  animals  the  great  scourge  of  the  fly  will 
cease. 


Native  African  Chiefs  Assembling  in  their  Canoes. 


War  Dance  of  one  of  the  South  African  Tribes. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FROM  CAPE  TOWN  TO  LOANDA. 

Dr.  Livingstone  Departs  for  the  Country  of  Makololo — Life  and  Labors  There 
— The  Chief  Sekeletu — Departs  for  the  West  Coast  of  Africa — Narrative  of 
the  Journey — Arrival  Among  the  Portuguese  Colonists — His  Opinion  of  this 
Portion  of  Africa — Determines  upon  Another  Great  Expedition. 

Dr.  Livingstone  had  now  been  in  Africa  about 
twelve  years.  For  eleven  years  he  had  been  beyond 
the  borders  of  civilization,  so  that  when  he  appeared 
at  Cape  Town,  taking  his  family  thither  for  their  de- 
parture to  England,  wearing  a  suit  of  the  same  fash- 
ion as  that  which  he  had  worn  away  from  London  in 
1840,  he  had  to  acknowledge  that  in  this  respect  at 
any  rate  he  had  fallen  behind  the  age,  and  was  pre- 
posterously out  of  the  mode.  A  far-away  colony  is 
not  the  best  place  in  the  world  at  which  to  procure 
intelligence  of  passing  events.  But  with  such  means 
of  intelligence  as  were  at  hand,  Dr.  Livingstone  must 
have  been  astonished  at  the  greatness  and  import- 
ance of  events  which  had  occurred  while  he  had  been 
preaching  to  the  Bakwains,  fighting  lions,  elephants, 
hyenas,  rhinoceroses,  hippopotami,  exploring  vast  re- 
gions before  unknown,  by  means  of  travel  which  had 
been  in  vogue  since  the  time  of  Abraham,  and  amongst 
a  people  who  had  advanced  but  little  if  any  from  a 
barbarism  hundreds  of  centuries  old.  During  the 
brief  period  in  which  the  great  African  explorer  was 
conducting  the  expeditions  of  which  an  account  has 

6  «n 


90  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

been  given  in  the  preceding  pages,  more  important 
events  had  occurred  in  the  world  than  had  occurred 
in  Africa  during  many  ages.  And  among  these  were 
great  inventions  and  progress  in  vastly  developing 
interprises  with  which  his  own  name  was  destined  to 
be  intimately  associated.  While  Dr.  Livingstone  had 
been  inwalled,  as  it  were,  within  the  deserts  and 
wilds  of  Africa,  Europe  had  been  convulsed  by  revo- 
lution and  war.  If  the  cause  of  popular  freedom  had 
not  greatly  gained,  it  had  at  least  made  way  for  lib- 
erty to  gain  victories  in  the  future  and  this  by  many 
deeds  of  soul-stirring  heroism  on  the  field  and  acts  of 
statesmanship  during  temporary  control  of  govern- 
ments by  the  people  in  revolution.  The  republic  of 
the  United  States  had  waged  a  war  with  the  repub- 
lic of  Mexico  which  terminated  in  success  for  the 
stronger  party,  and  the  addition  of  a  vast  extent  of 
territory.  It  was  during  this  period  that  the  great 
empire  of  Brazil  in  South  America  became  tranquil 
and  firmly  established  in  independence  of  the  Portu- 
guese Cortes.  But  far  more  important  events  than 
these,  and  sure  to  confer  lasting  benefits  upon  man- 
kind, were  taking  place  during  the  period  of  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone's first  series  of  explorations.  It  was  while 
Livingstone  was  successful  in  the  good  old  way  of 
discovery,  in  Africa,  that  Morse  was  successful,  in  a 
new  way,  in  America.  In  1844  tne  electric  telegraph 
became  a  practical  success.  With  the  practical  suc- 
cess of  this  momentous  invention,  the  newspaper  press 
entered  upon  a  career  of  enterprise  and  influence  of 
which  those  of  former  times  had  no  conception.  And 
it  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  it  was  one  of  the  great- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  9 1 

est  of  these  newspaper  establishments — the  New 
York  "  Herald" — whose  enterprise  at  length  discov- 
ered the  great  discoverer  after  he  had  been  given  up 
as  lost,  and  that  full  particulars  of  the  interesting 
event,  by  means  of  this  same  magnetic  telegraph, 
now  connecting  continents  together  in  instantaneous 
intercourse,  were  at  once  flashed  all  over  Christen- 
dom. But,  without  anticipating,  the  facts  as  they 
existed  when  Dr.  Livingstone  visited  Cape  Town 
were  enough  to  arouse  his  highest  ambition  and  his 
best  endeavors.  Perhaps  through  him  the  old  and 
the  new  might  clasp  hands.  Columbus,  in  the  good 
old  way  of  voyaging,  had  discovered  a  new  world, 
now  beneficently  aiding  mankind.  Why  might  not 
he,  exploring  in  the  old  manner — the  only  one  pos- 
sible— prepare  the  way  whereby  a  continent  for  so 
many  ages  in  the  gloom  of  barbarism  would  let  in 
the  light  and  the  glorious  good  of  these  great  tro- 
phies of  civilization?  It  will  only  add  one  to  the 
many  remarkable  anomalies  of  Africa  if  there  the  sun 
should  rise  in  the  west  after  all. 

Early  in  the  month  of  June,  1852,  Dr.  Livingstone 
left  Cape  Town  for  the  country  of  the  Makololo, 
with  the  object  of  establishing  a  missionary  station 
there.  He  traveled  in  the  usual  conveyance  of  the 
country,  a  heavy  Cape  Town  wagon,  drawn  by  five 
yoke  of  oxen.  Of  course  the  journey  was  slow  ;  nor 
need  it  be  said  to  those  who  have  read  the  pages 
which  have  gone  before,  that  it  was  often  accom- 
panied by  dangers  and  difficulties  not  mastered  ex- 
cept by  those  who  have  brave  natures.  In  addition 
to  the  slow  mode  of  travel,  there  were  several  causes 


92  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

of  detention,  and  half  the  month  of  January,  1853, 
had  passed  before  Dr.  Livingstone  left  the  scene  of 
his  long  missionary  labors  among  the  Backwains,  and 
again  entered  the  Kalahari  Desert.  At  this  season 
of  the  year  a  hot  wind  frequently  blows  over  the  des- 
ert from  north  to  south.  It  resembles  in  its  effects 
the  harmattan  of  North  Africa,  and  when  the  mis- 
sionaries first  settled  here,  it  came  loaded  with  clouds 
of  red-colored  sand.  This  forms  no  part  of  the 
phenomenon  of  late  years,  but  the  wind  blows  hot 
as  formerly,  appearing  to  come  from  some  vast  oven 
in  the  north.  It  is  so  devoid  of  moisture,  that  every- 
thing made  of  wood,  not  manufactured  in  the  coun- 
try, greatly  shrinks  and  warps.  The  atmosphere  on 
such  occasions  is  highly  charged  with  electricity,  so 
that  even  the  movement  of  a  native  on  his  bed  of 
skins  will  be  accompanied  by  a  luminous  appearance 
and  often  by  brilliant  sparks.  These  winds  do  not 
appear  to  bear  anything  unhealthy  on  their  heated 
wings.  On  the  contrary,  Dr.  Livingstone  expressly 
avows  the  opinion  that  the  whole  of  the  country  ad- 
jacent to  the  Desert,  and  from  Kuruman  to  the  lati- 
tude of  Lake  Ngami,  is  extremely  salubrious  and 
especially  healthy  and  restorative  to  those  who  are 
affected  by  pulmonary  complaints. 

The  journey  to  the  Makololo  country  did  not  pur- 
sue exactly  the  same  route  either  to  the  region  of 
Lake  Ngami  or  farther  on,  as  the  explorations  which 
have  heretofore  been  described  ;  but  it  did  not  dif- 
fer from  them  so  greatly  as  to  require  a  detailed 
narration  of  its  somewhat  hum-drum  incidents.  On 
parts  of  the  journey,  the  animals  of  the  country  were 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  93 

uncommonly  tame.  Giraffes  and  koodoos  came  close 
up  to  the  wagon  and  the  "  camp"  by  night,  and  on  one 
occasion,  a  large  lion  came  within  thirty  yards  of  the 
resting-place  for  the  night,  and  went  all  around  it, 
but  so  shrewdly  that  Dr.  Livingstone  was  unable  to 
get  a  shot  at  him. 

Early  in  May  the  party  reached  the  reed-walled 
banks  of  the  Chobe,  and  after  some  time  he  was 
able,  with  a  single  companion,  to  get  a  small  boat 
into  the  stream.  The  banks  of  this  river  are  so 
densely  covered  with  grass  and  reeds  that  it  is  al- 
most impossible  to  reach  the  water  except  at  places 
made  by  the  natives  or  those  huge  beasts,  the  rhino- 
ceroses or  hippopotami.  Going  down  the  stream 
with  the  current,  the  explorer  soon  discovered  a  vil- 
lage of  the  Makololo  chief  Moremi  on  the  north 
bank.  With  the  assistance  of  these  friendly  natives, 
the  whole  party  was  soon  able  to  move  on,  and 
reached  Linyanti,  then  the  capital  town  of  Sekeletu, 
chief  of  the  Makololo. 

The  Makololo  were  surprised,  but  greatly  gratified 
by  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  missionary  among 
them.  When  here  before,  the  wagon  had  been  left 
behind.  It  was  now  an  object  of  the  greatest  curi- 
osity, and  the  ,whole  town,  numbering  between  six 
and  seven  thousand  souls,  turned  out  en  masse  to  see 
the  vehicle.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  received  with  all 
the  ceremonies  of  Makololo  etiquette  by  Sekeletu 
and  his  under  chiefs.  A  great  number  of  pots  of 
boyaloa,  the  beer  of  the  country,  were  brought  forth 
by  women,  each  of  whom  takes  a  stout  draught  as 
she  sets  down  the  pot  to  show  that  there  is  no  poison. 


94  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

The  court  herald,  an  aged  man,  who  had  occupied 
that  office  during  Sebituane's  time,  with  many  bodily 
antics,  roared  out  a  welcome :  "  Don't  I  see  the  white 
man?"  "Don't  I  see  the  comrade  of  Sebituane?" 
And  a  great  many  other  short  sentences,  the  sum- 
mary of  whose  meaning  was  that  the  white  man, 
companion  of  the  late  chief,  and  good  sound  sleep 
were  very  welcome  to  the  Makololo. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  Dr.  Livingstone's  jour- 
ney to  the  Zambesi,  or  Leeambye,  as  it  is  here  called, 
of  which  account  is  now  being  written,  was  with  the 
object  of  establishing  a  missionary  station.  That  at 
which  he  had  so  long  labored  at  Kolobeng  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  enemies  of  Sechele  and  his  people 
the  Bechuanas,  and  it  was  at  the  time  of  this  journey, 
it  will  be  remembered,  when  Sechele  wrote  his  touch- 
ing letter  to  Mr.  Moffat,  and  shortly  afterwards,  when 
on  his  way  to  seethe  Queen  of  England, as  he  vainly 
hoped,  met  Livingstone  in  the  Desert.  Two  consid- 
erations were  regarded  by  the  explorer-missionary  as 
essential — healthfulness  of  locality,  which  should  also 
not  be  liable  to  attack  and  destruction  by  enemies  of 
the  people  where  it  should  be  determined  to  locate 
the  station.  In  search  of  such  place,  Dr.  Livingstone 
spent  about  six  months  at  this  timeam®ng  the  Mako- 
lolo. During  this  time  he  explored  a  large  extent 
of  territory  and  also  continued  his  missionary  labors. 
He  held  public  religious  services  in  the  kotla  at  Lin- 
yanti,  that  is,  the  place  of  public  meetings  and  general 
amusements.  He  says  that  the  Makololo  women 
behaved  with  decorum,  from  the  first,  except  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  prayer.     When  all  knelt  down,  many 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  95 

of  those  who  had  children  bent  over  them  so  that 
there  was  a  simultaneous  scream  in  all  parts  of  the 
kotla,  which  turned  into  an  universal  laugh  on  the 
part  of  the  women  when  "  Amen  "  was  said.  This 
peccadillo  was  at  length  overcome,  and  the  mission- 
ary had  respectful  if  not  believing  audiences.  He 
says  that  among  the  Bechuanas,  there  never  was  first- 
rate  decorum.  If  a  woman  should  happen  to  sit  on 
the  dress  of  another,  the  latter  would  make  a  vigor- 
ous nudge  with  her  elbow  and  a  request,  "  Take  the 
nasty  thing  away,  will  you  ? "  Whereupon  several 
women  would  go  to  scolding,  and  the  men  emphat- 
ically swear  with  the  object  of  enforcing  silence. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  opposition  to  learning  to 
read  among  the  Makololo,  chiefly  arising,  it  would 
appear,  from  a  feeling  that  knowledge  would  result 
in  the  abolition  of  polygamy,  but  it  was  at  length 
overcome  and  some  progress  made,  though  not  with 
Sekeletu,  who  was  obdurate  in  this  respect.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  been  uncommonly  uxorious,  even  for  an 
African  chief.  But  before  any  considerable  progress 
had  been  made  in  this  regard,  Dr.  Livingstone  de- 
parted for  the  west  coast.  He  found  much  of  the 
country  very  beautiful,  and  quite  goes  into  heroics  in 
his  descriptions  of  the  valley  of  the  Leeambye  inhab- 
ited by  that  branch  of  the  Makololo  known  as  the 
Barotse.  It  is  nearly  a  hundred  miles  in  length,  and 
in  some  places  twenty  or  thirty  miles  wide.  It  is 
covered  with  small  villages  which  are  built  on  artifi- 
cial mounds  so  that  during  the  period  of  inundation 
it  has  the  appearance  of  a  large  lake  dotted  with 
islands,  thus  greatly  resembling  the  valley  of  the  Nile 


96  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

when  the  waters  of  that  river  overflow  their  banks. 
The  current  of  the  Leeambye  in  this  region  is  very 
rapid.  On  returning  from  the  upper  Barotse  coun- 
try to  Linyanti,  Dr.  Livingstone  floated  with  the 
stream  sixty  miles  a  day,  and  saw  any  number  of 
alligators,  hippopotami,  and  other  of  the  huge  beasts 
and  reptiles  of  the  torrid  zone. 

Having  returned  from  a  considerable  journey 
among  the  tribes  on  the  Leeambye  and  its  confluents, 
the  missionary  thus  records  his  conclusions  upon 
heathenism  and  the  efforts  of  religious  societies  to 
eradicate  it : 

"  I  had  been,  during  a  nine  weeks'  tour,  in  closer 
contact  with  heathenism  than  I  had  ever  been  before  ; 
and  though  all,  including  the  chief,  were  as  kind  and 
attentive  to  me  as  possible,  and  there  was  no  want  of 
food  (oxen  being  slaughtered  daily,  sometimes  ten  at 
a  time,  more  than  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  all),  yet 
to  endure  the  dancing,  roaring,  and  singing,  the  jest- 
ing, anecdotes,  grumbling,  quarreling,  and  murdering 
of  these  children  of  nature,  seemed  more  like  a  severe 
penance  than  any  thing  I  had  before  met  with  in  th«*- 
course  of  my  missionary  duties.  I  took  thence  a 
more  intense  disgust  at  heathenism  than  I  had  before, 
and  formed  a  greatly-elevated  opinion  of  the  latent 
effects  of  missions  in  the  south,  among  tribes  which 
are  reported  to  have  been  as  savage  as  the  Makololo. 
The  indirect  benefits  which,  to  a  casual  observer,  lie 
beneath  the  surface,  and  are  inappreciable,  in  reference 
to  the  probable  wide  diffusion  of  Christianity  at  some 
future  time,  are  worth  all  the  monev  and  labor  that 
have  been  expended  to  produce  them." 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  97 

Sekeletu,  the  chief  of  the  Makololo,  seems  to  have 
impressed  Dr.  Livingstone  as  a  man  of  considerable 
natural  ability,  courage,  and  generosity.  He  desired 
especially  to  have  his  country  opened  to  communi- 
cation and  commerce  with  white  men,  but  exhibited 
little  or  no  desire  to  adopt  the  Christian  faith.  It 
would  appear  also  that  Sekeletu's  practical  ideas  had 
much  weight  with  his  distinguished  visitor ;  for  we 
find  Dr.  Livingstone  asserting  the  belief  that  com- 
merce must  accompany  Christianity  before  it  can  be 
greatly  successful  in  its  conflicts  with  heathenism  and 
barbarism.  Perhaps  this  opinion  had  something  to 
do  with  hastening  forward  the  explorer's  next  great 
journey — that  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  It  is  true 
that  other  considerations  helped  to  make  up  the  de- 
cision. Linyanti  is  on  the  river  Chobe,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  marshy,  swampy  country.  The  most  of 
the  region  round  about  is  periodically  inundated 
The  African  fever  prevails  ;  and  here  it  was  that 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  first  attacked  by  this  dread  dis- 
ease. But  against  the  attacks  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Makololo,  Linyanti  offered  the  greatest  advantages, 
and  the  people  could  not  well  be  asked  to  risk  great 
dangers  of  spoliation  and  sack,  even  for  the  rich  val- 
ley of  the  Barotse.  And  hence,  at  length,  the  Mako- 
lolo chief  and  Dr.  Livingstone  came  heartily  to  agree 
upon  the  explorer  undertaking  a  journey  to  St.  Paul 
de  Loanda,  the  capital  of  the  Portuguese  colony  of 
Angola,  in  Lower  Guinea. 

On  November  n,  1853,  tne  explorer  and  party, 
accompanied  by  Sekeletu  and  train  and  a  consider- 
able number  of  guides,  embarked  in  their  canoes  on 


98  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

the  Chobe,  and  proceeded  down  that  tortuous  stream 
to  its  juncture  with  the  Leeambye.  The  route  de- 
termined upon  lay  up  this  magnificent  river  to  the 
confines  of  the  Makololo  country  and  beyond.  The 
journey  against  the  rapid  current  was  as  slow  as  the 
late  journey  down  stream  had  been  agreeable,  on  ac- 
count of  speed.  The  country  every  day  became  more 
beautiful,  however,  and  many  fruit  and  other  trees 
lent  a  charm  to  the  scenery,  which  was  not  decreased 
by  the  sight  and  voices  of  innumerable  birds,  many 
of  which  were  entirely  new  to  the  European.  At 
times  the  canoes  had  to  be  carried  around  rapids  and 
cataracts.  The  Falls  of  Gonye  are  near  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Barotse  Valley.  These  falls  have 
not  been  made  by  wearing  back,  like  Niagara,  but  are 
of  a  fissure  form.  For  many  miles  below  the  river 
is  confined  in  a  narrow  space  through  which  the  water 
boils  and  tumbles,  making  all  navigation  and  even 
swimming  impracticable.  There  are  numbers  of 
islands  above  the  falls,  covered  with  rich  foliage,  and 
making  a  scene,  as  viewed  from  the  rocks  near  the 
cataract,  of  surpassing  beauty. 

Before  Dr.  Livingstone's  departure  from  Linyanti, 
Sekeletu  had  sent  forward  couriers,  informing  the  va- 
rious head-men  and  tribes  of  the  explorer's  intended 
journey,  and  commanding  that  he  be  received  with 
all  due  state  and  hospitality.  Accordingly  all  the 
wants  of  the  party  were  kindly  provided  for.  They 
had  enough  to  eat  and  to  spare,  the  use  of  the  best 
huts,  plenty  of  skilled  boatmen,  and  everything  that 
could  be  procured  in  the  country  for  their  accommo- 
dation.     Indeed,    the    commands    of   Sekeletu   were 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


99 


sometimes  so  generously  construed  as  to  put  Dr 
Livingstone  to  inconvenience  by  reason  of  excessive 
hospitality.  Thus  he  was  forced,  as  it  were,  to  wait 
on  one  occasion  till  a  certain  great  personage  should 
pay  him  respect,  and  then  go  off  on  a  journey  to  a 
considerable  distance  accompanied  and  guided  by  a 
rigorous  Amazon,  a  chieftainess  of  the  region  and 
noted  for  great  powers  of  tongue  and  pedestrianism. 
The  Doctor  had  no  little  difficulty  in  keeping  up  with 
either,  but  cheerfully  submitted  to  many  good- 
natured  inflictions  because  of  the  evident  kindness 
and  liberality  of  the  people. 

On  December  17th,  the  party  reached  Libonta. 
This  village,  near  the  upper  part  of  the  now  narrowed 
Barotse  valley,  is  built  upon  a  mound  and  belongs  to 
two  women  who  were  wives  to  Sebituane.  They  lib- 
erally supplied  the  expedition  with  food.  This  is  the 
last  town  of  the  Makololo.  In  front  were  a  few  ham- 
lets and  cattle  stations  and  a  vast  expanse  of  border 
country.  Ten  days  afterwards  the  party  reached  the 
confluence  of  the  Leeambye  and  the  Leeba,  the  for- 
mer here  flowing  westward,  the  latter  from  the  north. 
The  journey  was  pursued  up  the  Leeba.  Near  the 
confluence  of  these  rivers,  game  was  exceedingly 
abundant,  but  Dr.  Livingstone's  expectations  in  this 
regard  were  not  sustained  as  he  pursued  his  expedi- 
tion. The  region  to  the  north  of  the  Makololo  coun- 
try is  called  Londa,  and  its  inhabitants  Balonda. 
They  worship  idols,  and  are  extremely  superstitious. 
They  are  thus  described : 

"  The  Balonda  are  real  negroes,  having  much  more 
wool  on  their  heads  and  bodies  than  any  of  the  Bech- 


IOO  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

nana  or  Caffre  tribes,  They  are  generally  very 
dark  in  color,  but  several  are  to  be  seen  of  a  lighter 
hue ;  many  of  the  slaves  who  have  been  exported  to 
Brazil  have  gone  from  this  region ;  but  while  they 
have  a  general  similarity  to  the  typical  negro,  I  never 
could,  from  my  own  observation,  think  that  our  ideal 
negro,  as  seen  in  tobacconists'  shops,  is  the  true  type. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  Balonda,  indeed,  have  heads 
somewhat  elongated  backward  and  upward,  thick  lips, 
flat  noses,  elongated  ossa  calces,  &c.  &c. ;  but  there 
are  also  many  good-  looking,  well  shaped  heads  and 
persons  among  them." 

Shinte,  the  chief  of  the  Balonda,  while  exhibiting 
much  kindness  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  receiving  him 
with  great  state,  must  have  been  much  of  a  "  night- 
hawk."  He  sent  for  the  missionary  at  most  unsea- 
sonable hours,  till  at  length,  on  account  of  his  fever, 
he  had  to  decline  going.  If  the  Makololo  ate  like 
vultures,  the  Balonda  slept  on  the  wing.  They  are 
great  pedestrians,  even  the  women  walking  long  jour- 
neys through  the  dense  forests  of  these  regions,  which 
have  scattered  throughout  numbers  of  the  ugly  idols 
of  the  gross  superstition  of  the  people.  The  Balonda 
are  given  to  much  speaking  in  their  Kotla  and  are  a 
quite  musical  people,  their  instruments  being  drums 
and  the  marimba,  a  rude  species  of  piano.  The  dress 
of  the  Balonda  men  consists  of  the  softened  skins  of 
small  animals,  as  the  jackal  or  wild  cat,  hung  before 
and  behind  from  a  girdle  round  the  loins.  The  women 
were  dressed  in  nature's  toilet;  but  were  not  im- 
modest. 

After  leaving  Shinte,  the  same  flat,  forest  country 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  IOI 

was  met  with,  and  any  quantity  of  rain.  The  rivers 
and  gullies  were  full  and  the  plains  drenched.  In 
crossing  the  Lokalueje,  which  flows  into  the  Leeba, 
the  whole  party  got  thoroughly  wet  through,  but  a 
few  articles  were  kept  dry  by  being  held  up  by  the 
guides  and  natives.  On  such  occasions,  Dr.  Living- 
stone carried  his  watch  in  his  arm-pit,  where  it  was 
preserved  from  rains  above  and  waters  below.  With 
this  superabundance  of  water,  game  became  scarce 
and  the  party  often  went  hungry  to  bed.  Here  it 
was  observed  that  all  the  streams  of  a  vast  extent  of 
central  South  Africa  have  their  origin  in  oozy  bogs 
and  not  in  fountains.  Such  is  the  case  with  the 
Chobe,  the  Loeti,  Kaisi,  and  other  rivers.  About 
this  time,  the  party  heard  of  the  death  of  Metiamvo, 
who  had  been  a  powerful  chief,  having  life  and  death 
at  his  absolute  control.  He  used  to  go  about  in  per- 
son beheading  his  subjects  as  he  would  meet  them, 
because,  as  he  said,  they  were  becoming  too  numer- 
ous. The  farther  north  Dr.  Livingstone  proceeded 
the  more  savage  and  superstitious  did  the  people  be- 
come. But  the  people  under  the  chief  Katema  are 
exceptionally  amiable,  and  have  a  great  love  of  sing- 
ing birds,  of  which  they  have  large  numbers  similar 
to  our  canaries.     They  are  kept  in  cages. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1854,  after  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  journeys  through  savage  lands,  the 
party  passed  out  of  the  confines  of  barbarism  into  a 
land  inhabited  by  those  who,  if  not  civilized  them- 
selves, were  the  subjects  of  a  civilized  people.  This 
was  when  the  explorer  entered  the  magnificent  valley 
of  the    Quango,   which   forms   the  eastern   limit    of 


102  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Portuguese  authority  in  this  part  of  Africa.  The 
Basinje  tribe  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Quango,  and 
they  treated  the  expedition  with  more  inhospitality 
and  threatened  cruelty  than  it  had  received  during 
thousands  of  miles  of  travel.  On  the  west  bank, 
and  between  the  river  and  Lower  Guinea  proper,  is 
the  territory  of  the  Bangala,  or  Cassanges,  subjects 
of  the  Portuguese.  The  following  from  Livingstone  s 
description  of  this  great  valley  will  give  the  reader 
a  fine  conception  of  a  beautiful  country  within  ten 
degrees  of  the  equator : 

"On  the  30th  we  came  to  a  sudden  descent  from  the 
high  land,  indented  by  deep,  narrow  valleys,  over 
which  we  had  lately  been  traveling.  It  is  generally 
so  steep  that  it  can  only  be  descended  at  particular 
points.  Below  us  lay  the  valley  of  the  Quango.  If 
you  sit  on  the  spot  where  Mary  Queen  of  Scots 
viewed  the  battle  of  Langside,  and  look  down  on  the 
vale  of  Clyde,  you  may  see  in  miniature  the  glorious 
sight  which  a  much  greater  and  richer  valley  pre- 
sented to  our  view.  It  is  about  a  hundred  miles 
broad,  clothed  with  dark  forest,  except  where  the  light 
green  grass  covers  meadow  lands  on  the  Quango/which 
here  and  there  glances  out  in  the  sun  as  it  wends  its 
way  to  the  north.  The  opposite  side  of  this  great 
valley  appears  like  a  range  of  lofty  mountains,  and 
the  descent  into  it  about  a  mile,  which,  measured  per- 
pendicularly, may  be  from  a  thousand  to  twelve  hun- 
dred feet.  Emerging  from  the  gloomy  forests  of 
Londa,  this  magnificent  prospect  made  us  all  feel  as 
if  a  weight  had  been  lifted  off  our  eyelids.  A  cloud 
was  passing  across  the   middle  of  the   valley,  from 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  IO3 

which  rolling  thunder  pealed,  while  above  all  was 
glorious  sunlight;  and  when  we  went  down  to  the 
part  where  we  saw  it  passing  we  found  that  a  very 
heavy  thunder-shower  had  .fallen  under  the  path  of 
the  cloud,  and  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  which  from 
above  seemed  quite  smooth,  we  discovered  to  be  in- 
tersected by  great  numbers  of  deep-cut  streams. 
Looking  back  from  below,  the  descent  appears  as  the 
edge  of  a  table-land,  with  numerous  indented  dells 
and  spurs  jutting  out  all  along,  giving  it  a  serrated 
appearance.  Both  the  top  and  sides  of  the  sierra  are 
covered  with  trees ;  but  large  patches  of  the  more 
perpendicular  parts  are  bare,  and  exhibit  the  red  soil 
which  is  general  over  the  region  we  have  now  en- 
tered." 

Detained  some  days  on  the  Quango  by  rains  and 
scientific  observations,  it  was  not  until  near  the 
middle  of  April  that  Dr.  Livingstone  reached  Cas- 
sange,  the  farthest  inland  town  of  the  Portuguese,  and 
about  three  hundred  miles  from  the  Atlantic  coast  at 
St.  Paul  de  Loanda. 

Thenceforward  until  his  arrival  at  Loanda,  Dr. 
Livingstone  met  with  unbounded  hospitality  and  the 
distinguished  consideration  due  to  his  discoveries, 
his  sufferings,  and  his  labors  in  behalf  of  humanity 
and  science.  The  commandants  at  the  various  Por- 
tuguese towns  and  trading-posts  through  which  he 
and  his  unique  Makololo  companions  passed,  showed 
him  every  attention  and  honor,  whereby,  it  is  plain, 
he  was  most  highly  gratified.  His  opinion  of  the 
Portuguese  colonists  as  high-toned  gentlemen  is  evi- 
dently very  exalted.     Nor  can  he  find  words  of  too 


104  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

high  praise  in  which  to  speak  of  the  entire  freedom 
of  caste  in  social  and  business  intercourse  between 
the  Europeans  and  the  Africans.  He  contrasts  the 
customs  herein  in  Angola,  with  those  of  Cape  Colony 
and  greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  English.  He 
also  has  much  to  say  in  praise  of  the  former  labors  of 
Jesuit  missionaries,  whose  good  results  are  still  plain- 
ly observable  among  the  natives,  but  regrets  that 
they  did  not  translate  and  leave  the  Bible  for  their 
instruction  and  guidance.  He  laments  the  visible 
want  of  internal  improvements.  There  are  no  roads 
in  the  country ;  merely  paths  from  place  to  place, 
with  canoe  ferries  across  the  rivers  and  deep  streams. 
He  also  laments  the  fact  that  the  Portuguese  do  not 
bring  wives  to  the  colonies  with  them,  and  become 
permanent  citizens.  It  is  true,  they  raise  families  by 
native  women,  and  treat  their  children  with  great 
kindness,  but  the  want  of  the  family  as  an  institution 
founded  in  affection  and  sustained  by  law  must,  so 
long  as  it  exists,  keep  the  colonists  in  the  situation  of 
mere  traders,  and  repress  intellectual  and  moral  de- 
velopment. 

When  Livingstone  reached  Loanda  he  was  still 
greatly  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  fever,  by 
which  he  had  been  several  times  attacked.  There 
was  but  a  single  Englishman  in  the  town  and  the 
missionary  worried  himself  in  his  illness,  wondering 
whether  this  sojourner  were  possessed  of  good  na- 
ture, "  or  was  one  of  those  crusty  mortals  one  would 
rather  not  meet  at  all."  "  This  gentleman,"  the  sick 
traveler  goes  on  to  say,  "  Mr.  Gabriel,  our  commis- 
sioner for  the  suppression   of  the   slave-trade,    had 


""■'■- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  IO7 

kindly  forwarded  an  invitation  to  meet  me  on  the 
way  from  Cassange,  but,  unfortunately,  it  crossed  me 
on  the  road.  When  we  entered  his  porch,  I  was  de- 
lighted to  see  a  number  of  flowers  cultivated  care- 
fully, and  inferred  from  this  circumstance  that  he  was, 
what  I  soon  discovered  him  to  be,  a  real  whole-hearted 
Englishman.  Seeing  me  ill,  he  benevolently  offered 
me  his  bed.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  luxurious  pleas- 
ure I  enjoyed  in  feeling  myself  again  on  a  good  Eng- 
lish couch,  after  six  months  sleeping  on  the  ground. 
I  was  soon  asleep  ;  and  Mr.  Gabriel  coming  in  almost 
immediately,  rejoiced  at  the  soundness  of  my  repose." 
Under  the  hospitable  roof  of  Mr.  Gabriel  Dr. 
Livingstone  remained  much  longer  than  he  had  an- 
ticipated, for  he  continued  for  some  time  to  grow  more 
and  more  reduced  under  the  effects  of  the  disease 
from  which  he  had  long  suffered.  This  was,  doubtless, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  he  was  now  "  out  of  command," 
and  the  feeling  of  grave  responsibility  did  not  give 
that  strength  and  elasticity  to  the  mind  which  have 
so  powerful  an  effect  in  counteracting  bodily  ail- 
ments. He  was  visited  by  a  number  of  prominent 
Portuguese  gentlemen,  and  the  acting  governor  of  the 
province  sent  his  secretary  to  offer  the  services  of 
the  government  physician.  Some  British  vessels  also 
came  into  port  and  offered  to  convey  him  to  St 
Helena,  or  homeward,  as  he  might  choose.  But  there 
were  his  Makololo  friends,  who  had  accompanied  him 
a  vast  distance,  and  would  be  unable,  without  his  as- 
sistance, to  pass  through  the  country  of  the  un- 
friendly negroes  near  the  borders  of  the  Portuguese 
colony.     The  explorer  would  not  abandon  his  trusty 

7 


IOS  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

friends  to  such  a  fate.  He  therefore  declined  the 
tempting  offers  of  his  naval  friends,  and  came  to  the 
determination  to  return  to  the  Makololo  chief,  with 
the  object  of  proceeding  from  his  country  to  the  east 
coast  of  Africa  by  way  of  the  Leeambye  or  Zambesi 
river,  hoping  thus  to  discover  a  route  by  which  a 
wagon  road  to  central  South  Africa  might  be  opened 
up.  This  involved  a  journey  across  the  continent, 
through  an  unknown  country,  filled  with  wild  animals, 
hostile  tribes,  and  noxious  malaria.  That  Dr.  Living- 
stone reached  this  determination  while  on  a  bed  of 
sickness,  and  importuned  by  kind  friends  to  take  his 
ease  for  a  season,  is  conclusive  demonstration  of  his 
sublime  conscientiousness  and  his  indomitable  spirit 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ACROSS    THE    CONTINENT. 

The  Expedition  Across  the  Continent  from  Loanda  to  Kilimane — Account  ol 
the  Journey — The  Water-Shed  of  Central  Africa — Lake  Dilolo,  and  a  River 
Flowing  in  Two  Directions — The  Great  Falls  of  Victoria  on  the  Zambesi — 
The  Journey  from  Linyanti  Eastward — The  People  of  this  Portion  of  Africa 
— The  Country — Animals  and  Vegetation — Arrival  at  Kilimane — Departure 
for  England — Resume  of  Events  Connected  with  More  Than  9,000  Miles  of 
Travel,  and  Many  Discoveries. 

Dr.  Livingstone's  journey  through  Angola  on  his 
return  to  Linyanti  was  exceedingly  slow.  He  was 
detained  at  different  times  by  different  causes.  Ill- 
ness at  times  kept  him  laid  up.  Then  again  he  would 
depart  from  his  direct  route  to  the  right  or  left,  with 
the  object  of  examining  the  country.  At  other  times 
he  was  detained  by  the  excessive  hospitality  of 
Portuguese  friends.  His  descriptions  of  the  country 
on  his  return  are  not  so  rose-colored  as  those  ac- 
companying his  journey  to  the  coast ;  and  though  he 
loses  none  of  his  kind  feelings  for  the  colonists,  he 
is  compelled  to  admit  that  they  have  not  done  so 
much  for  the  natives  and  the  country  as  they  ought 
to  have  done,  and  that,  under  English  control,  the 
country  would  have  been  far  more  prosperous  and 
wealthy.  It  is  in  speaking  of  some  of  the  native 
tribes  who  have  here  preserved  their  identity  against 
most  untoward  circumstances  that  he  asseverates 
that  no  African  tribe  has  ever  yet  been  destroyed. 

He  remained  sometime  at  Cassange,  and  then  prO- 
IGf) 


IIO  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ceeded  for  a  very  considerable  distance  by  the  same 
route  upon  which  he  had  traveled  on  the  previous 
journey.  On  account  of  the  fever  he  made  very  slow 
progress.  When  he  approached  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Dilolo,  he  took  a  different  course,  with  the  object  of 
more  particular  examinations  into  this  portion  of  the 
country  than  he  had  before  been  able  to  make,  the 
result  being  some  remarkable  and  interesting  discov- 
eries in  respect  to  the  geography  and  geology  of  this 
portion  of  the  globe. 

In  that  extensive,  undefined  border  country  be- 
tween the  territory  of  the  Makololo  and  that  of  the 
Balonda,  there  are  vast  level  plains,  which  during  the 
rainy  season  may  be  described,  not  inaccurately,  as 
lakes  of  immense  superficial  area  but  of  no  great 
depth  of  water.  In  the  midst  of  all  is  Lake  Dilolo, 
from  which  flows  the  Lotembwa  river,  a  small  body 
of  water  which  appears  to  form  the  water-shed  of  the 
African  continent ;  certainly  that  vast  portion  known 
as  South  Africa.  It  seems  to  be  established  that  this 
river  on  the  one  side  of  Lake  Dilolo  flows  northward 
into  the  Kasai,  a  confluent  of  the  Congo,  emptying 
into  the  Atlantic  ocean,  and  on  the  other  side  flows 
southward  to  the  Leeambye  which,  under  the  name 
of  Zambesi,  discharges  its  waters  into  the  Indian 
ocean.  A  statement  so  singular  should  be  related  in 
the  words  of  the  explorer  himself.  On  June  8th, 
1855,  he  forded  the  Lotembwa  a  short  distance  to 
the  northwest  of  Lake  Dilolo.  He  then  goes  on  to 
say: 

"  The  Lotembwa  here  is  about  a  mile  wide,  about 
three  feet  deep,  and  full  of  the  lotus,  papyrus,  arum, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  Ill 

mat-rushes*  and  other  aquatic  plants.  I  did  not  ob- 
serve the  bourse  in  which  the  water  flowed  while 
crossing;  but  having  noticed  before  that  the  Lot- 
embwa  on  the  other  side  of  the  Lake  Dilolo  flowed 
in  a  southerly  direction,  I  supposed  that  this  was 
simply  a  prolongation  of  the  same  river  beyond  Di- 
lolo, and  that  it  rose  in  this  large  marsh,  which  we 
had  not  seen  in  our  progress  to  the  northwest.  But 
when  we  came  to  the  Southern  Lotembwa,  we  were 
informed  by  Shakatwala  that  the  river  we  had  crossed 
flowed  in  an  opposite  direction — not  into  Dilolo  but 
into  the  Kasai.  This  phenomenon  of  a  river  run- 
ning in  opposite  directions  struck  even  his  mind  as 
strange ;  and,  though  I  did* not  observe  the  current 
simply  from  taking  it  for  granted  that  it  was  toward 
the  lake,  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  assertion  corrobor- 
ated as  it  was  by  others,  is  correct,  and  that  the 
Dilolo  is  actually  the  water-shed  between  the  river 
systems  that  flow  to  the  east  and  west. 

"  I  would  have  returned  in  order  to  examine  more 
carefully  this  most  interesting  point,  but,  having  had 
my  lower  extremities  chilled  in  crossing  the  North- 
ern Lotembwa,  I  was  seized  with  vomiting  of  blood, 
and,  besides,  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  the  native  testi- 
mony. The  distance  between  Dilolo  and  the  valleys 
leading  to  that  of  the  Kasai  is  not  more  than  fifteen 
miles,  and  the  plains  between  are  perfectly  level ;  and 
had  I  returned,  I  should  only  have  found  that  this 
little  Lake  Dilolo,  by  giving  a  portion  to  the  Kasai 
and  another  to  the  Zambesi,  distributes  its  waters  to 
the  Atlantic  and  Indian  oceans.  I  state  the  fact  ex- 
act' y  as  it  opened   to  my   own  mind,   for  it  was  only 


I  I  2  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

now  that  I  apprehended  the  true  form  of  the  river 
system  and  continent.  I  had  seen  the  various  rivers 
of  this  country  on  the  western  side  flowing  from  the 
subtending  ridges  into  the  center,  and  had  received 
information  from  natives  and  Arabs  that  most  of  the 
rivers  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  same  great  region 
took  a  somewhat  similar  course  from  an  elevated 
ridge  there,  and  that  all  united  in  two  main  drains, 
the  one  flowing  to  the  north  and  the  other  to  the 
south,  and  that  the  northern  drain  found  its  way  out 
by  the  Congo  to  the  west,  and  the  southern  by  the 
Zambesi  to  the  east.  I  was  thus  on  the  water-shed, 
or  highest  point  of  these  two  great  systems,  but  still 
not  more  than  four  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  one  thousand  feet  lower  than  the  top  of 
the  western  ridge  we  had  already  crossed;  yet  in- 
stead of  lofty  snow-clad  mountains  appearing  to  ver- 
ify the  conjectures  of  the  speculative,  we  had  extensive 
plains  over  which  one  may  travel  a  month  without 
seeing  anything  higher  than  an  ant-hill  or  a  tree.  I 
was  not  then  aware  that  any  one  else  had  discovered 
the  elevated  trough-form  of  the  centre  of  Africa." 

Lake  Dilolo  is  described  as  a  fine  sheet  of  water, 
somewhat  of  a  triangular  shape,  six  or  eight  miles 
long  and  from  one  to  two  broad.  Moene  Dilolo, 
the  "  Lord  of  the  Lake,"  was  found  to  be  a  fat,  jolly 
fellow,  who  lamented  the  paradox  that  when  there 
were  no  strangers  at  the  lake  there  was  plenty  of 
beer,  and  when  strangers  were  there  the  beverage 
was  always  gone.  He  gave  his  guests  plenty  of 
manioc  meal,  however,  and  a  generous  supply  of 
putrid  buffalo-meat.     Flesh  is  never  too  far  gone  for 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  I  I  3 

these  rather  lazy  natives  whose  chief  food  is  the 
tasteless  manioc.  Here  the  idolater  of  central  Africa 
and  the  epicure  of  fashionable  civilization  clasp  hands 
over  a  common  luxury ;  for  tainted  game  and  sauces 
in  whose  ingredients  are  the  fluids  of  far-gone  meats 
are  greatly  affected  at  our  most  stylish  restaurants. 
On  his  way  from  Lake  Dilolo  to  the  south,  the  ex- 
plorer met  again  his  old  friends,  Katema,  Shinte,  and 
Manenko.  They  treated  him  with  cordial  hospi- 
tality, and  Manenko  walked,  if  she  did  not  talk,  less 
than  on  the  former  visit.  On  July  27th,  the  expe- 
dition reached  Libonta,  and  the  traveler's  Makololo 
companions — who  had  been  constantly  faithful  and 
most  valuable  to  their  friend — were  once  more  "  home 
again."  The  party  was  welcomed,  says  Dr.  Living- 
stone, "  with  demonstrations  of  joy  such  as  I  had 
never  witnessed  before.  The  women  came  forth  to 
meet  us,  making  their  curious  dancing  gestures  and 
loud  lulliloos.  Some  carried  a  mat  and  stick,  in  imi- 
tation of  a  spear  and  shield.  Others  rushed  forward 
and  kissed  the  hands  and  cheeks  of  the  different  per- 
sons of  their  acquaintance  among  us,  raising  such  a 
dust  that  it  was  quite  a  relief  to  get  to  the  men  as- 
sembled and  sitting  with  proper  African  decorum  in 
the  kotla.  We  were  looked  upon  as  men  risen  from 
the  dead,  for  the  most  skilful  of  their  diviners  had 
pronounced  u£  to  have  perished  long  ago.  After 
many  expressions  of  joy  at  meeting,  I  arose,  and, 
thanking  them,  explained  the  causes  of  our  long  de- 
lay, but  left  the  report  to  be  made  by  their  own 
countrymen.  Formerly  I  had  been  the  chief  speaker, 
now  I  would  leave  the  task  of  speaking  to  them.  Pit- 


114  BXPLO RATIONS    IN   AFRICA. 

sane  (a  Makololo  who  had  been  with  Livingstone) 
then  delivered  a  speech  of  upward  of  an  hour  in 
length,  giving  a  highly-flattering  picture  of  the  whole 
journey,  of  the  kindness  of  the  white  men  in  general, 
and  of  Mr.  Gabriel  in  particular.  He  concluded  by 
saying  that  I  had  done  more  for  them  than  they  ex- 
pected ;  that  I  had  not  only  opened  up  a  path  for 
them  to  the  other  white  men,  but  conciliated  all  the 
chiefs  along  the  route.  The  oldest  man  present 
rose  and  answered  this  speech,  and,  among  other 
things,  alluded  to  the  disgust  I  felt  at  the  Makololo 
for  engaging  in  marauding-expeditions  against  Lec- 
hulatebe  and  Sebolamakwaia,  of  which  we  had  heard 
from  the  first  persons  we  met,  and  which  my  com- 
panions most  energetically  denounced  as  'mashue 
hela,'  entirely  bad.  He  entreated  me  not  to  lose 
heart,  but  to  reprove  Sekeletu  as  my  child.  Another 
old  man  followed  with  the  same  entreaties.  The  fol- 
lowing day  we  observed  as  our  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  his  goodness  in  bringing  us  all  back  in  safety  to 
our  friends.  My  men  decked  themselves  out  in  their 
best,  and  I  found  that,  although  their  goods  were 
finished,  they  had  managed  to  save  suits  of  European 
clothing,  which,  being  white,  with  their  redcaps, gave 
them  rather  a  dashing  appearance.  They  tried  to 
walk  like  the  soldiers  they  had  seen  in  Loanda,  and 
called  themselves  my  '  braves'  (batlabani).  During 
the  service  they  all  sat  with  their  guns  over  their 
shoulders,  and  excited  the  unbounded  admiration  of 
the  women  and  children.  I  addressed  them  all  on 
the  goodness  of  God  in  preserving  us  from  all  the 
dangers  of  strange  tribes  and  disease.      We  had  a 


EXPLORATIONS    IX    AFRICA.  I  I  5 

similar  service  in  the  afternoon.  The  men  gave  us 
two  fine  oxen  for  slaughter,  and  the  women  supplied 
us  abundantly  with  milk,  meal,  and  butter.  It  was  all 
quite  gratuitous,  and  I  felt  ashamed  that  I  could  make 
no  return.  My  men  explained  the  total  expenditure 
of  our  means,  and  the  Libontese  answered,  grace- 
fully, 'It  does  not  matter:  you  have  opened  a  path 
for  us,  and  we  shall  have  sleep/  Strangers  came 
flocking  from  a  distance,  and  seldom  empty-handed. 
Their  presents  I  distributed  among  my  men." 

The  progress  down  the  Barotse  valley  was  a  con- 
stant ovation ;  a  perpetual  succession  of  barbecues, 
and  the  number  of  oxen  brought  forth  to  the  wel- 
coming  slaughter  was  great  enough  to  make  a  re- 
spectable herd.  But  on  reaching  Naliele,  a  number 
of  Dr.  Livingstone's  Makololo  fellow-travelers  found 
an  unexpected  source  of  sorrow  in  the  fact  that  their 
wives  had  taken  to  themselves  other  husbands.  Most 
of  them  having  more  wives  than  one  they  were  not 
altogether  without  consolation  ;  but  it  was  plain  that 
they  did  not  at  all  relish  the  fact  that  while  they  had 
been  toiling  for  two  years  others  had  eaten  their 
corn.  The  men  who  had  married  the  only  wives  of 
the  traveling  Makololo  were  compelled  to  restore 
them.  From  which  we  may  infer  that  ideas  of  the 
marriage  relation  in  central  Africa,  even  at  the  best, 
are  still  far  from  orthodox.  On  the  canoe  voyage 
hence  to  Linyanti  the  craft,  though  moving  near 
shore  was  assailed  by  an  immense  hippopotamus,which 
shoved  against  the  boat,  using  its  head  for  the  pur- 
pose, with  such  strength  that  it  was  almost  lifted  out 
of  the  water.     Fortunately,  no  harm  was  done  to  life 


Il6  EXPLORATIONS    IX    AFRICA. 

or  limb.  At  Linyanti,  where  Dr.  Livingstone  arrived 
early  in  September,  he  was  received  with  great  joy 
by  the  chief  Sekeletu  and  his  people. 

Having  remained  at  the  Makololo  capital  about 
two  months,  Dr.  Livingstone  departed  hence  for  the 
east  coast  of  Africa  on  the  3d  of  November.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Sekeletu  with  about  two  hun- 
dred followers,  and  wherever  they  stopped  in  the 
Makololo  country,  every  arrangement  for  their  hos- 
pitable entertainment  was  found  to  be  provided  for. 
It  was  now,  in  his  voyage  down  the  Zambesi  that  Dr. 
Livingstone  visited  the  great  falls  of  that  river  and 
named  them  after  the  reigning  sovereign  of  England, 
Victoria.  These  being  among  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  many  noteworthy  scenes  of  Africa  can  only  be 
adequately  described  in  the  graphic  words  of  the  ex- 
plorer, who  here  goes  into  more  heroics,  as  it  were, 
than  in  almost  any  other  portion  of  his  great  work : 

"  After  twenty  minutes'  sail  from  Kalai  we  came 
in  sight  for  the  first  time,  of  the  columns  of  va- 
por appropriately  called  'smoke/  rising  at  a  distance 
of  five  or  six  miles,  exactly  as  when  large  tracts  of 
grass  are  burned  in  Africa.  Five  columns  now  arose, 
and,  bending  in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  they  seemed 
placed  against  a  low  ridge  covered  with  trees  ;  the 
tops  of  the  columns  at  this  distance  appeared  to  min- 
gle with  the  clouds.  They  were  white  below,  and 
higher  up  became  dark,  so  as  to  simulate  smoke  very 
closely.  The  whole  scene  was  extremely  beautiful. 
The  banks  and  islands  dotted  over  the  river  are 
adorned  with  sylvan  vegetation  of  great  variety  of 
color  and  form.     At  the  period  of  our  visit  several 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  117 

trees  were  spangled  over  with  blossoms.  Trees  have 
each  their  own  physiognomy.  There,  towering  over 
all,  stands  the  great  burly  baobab,  each  of  whose 
enormous  arms  would  form  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree, 
besides  groups  of  graceful  palms,  which,  with  their 
feathery-shaped  leaves  depicted  on  the  sky,  lend  their 
beauty  to  the  scene.  As  a  hieroglyphic  they  always 
mean  '  far  from  home/  for  one  can  never  get  over 
their  foreign  air  in  a  picture  or  landscape.  The  sil- 
very mohonono — which  in  the  tropics  is  in  form  like 
the  cedar  of  Lebanon. — stands  in  pleasing  contrast 
with  the  dark  color  of  the  motsouri,  whose  cypress 
form  is  dotted  over  at  present  with  its  pleasant  scar- 
let fruit.  Some  trees  resemble  the  great  spreading 
oak ;  others  assume  the  character  of  our  own  elms 
and  chestnuts  ;  but  no  one  can  imagine  the  beauty  of 
the  view  from  anything  witnessed  in  England.  It 
had  never  been  seen  before  by  European  eyes ;  but 
scenes  so  lovely  must  have  been  gazed  upon  by  angels 
in  their  flight.  The  only  want  felt  is  that  of  moun- 
tains in  the  background.'  The  falls  are  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  ridges  three  hundred  or  four  hundred 
feet  in  height,  which  are  covered  with  forest,  with  the 
red  soil  appearing  among  the  trees.  When  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  falls,  I  left  the  canoe  by  which 
we  had  come  down  thus  far,  and  embarked  in  a  lighter 
one,  with  men  well  acquainted  with  the  rapids,  who  by 
passing  down  the  center  of  the  stream  in  the  eddies 
and  still  places  caused  by  many  jutting  rocks,  brought 
me  to  an  island  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  river 
and  on  the  edge  of  the  lip  over  which  the  water  rolls. 
In  coming  hither  there  was   danger  of  being  swept 


tl8  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

down  by  the  streams  which  rushed  along  on  each  side 
of  the  island ;  but  the  river  was  now  low,  and  we 
sailed  where  it  is  totally  impossible  to  go  when  the 
water  is  high.  But  though  we  had  reached  the  island, 
and  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the  spot  a  view  from 
which  would  solve  the  whole  problem,  I  believe  that 
no  one  could  perceive  where  the  vast  body  of  water 
went :  it  seemed  to  lose  itself  in  the  earth,  the  oppo- 
site lip  of  the  fissure  into  which  it  disappeared  being 
only  eighty  feet  distant.  At  least  I  did  not  compre- 
hend it  until,  creeping  with  awe  to  the  verge,  I  peered 
down  into  a  large  rent  which  had  been  made  from 
bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zambesi,  and  saw  that  a 
stream  of  a  thousand  yards  broad  leaped  down  a 
hundred  feet  and  then  became  suddenly  compressed 
into  a  space  of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.  The  entire 
falls  are  simply  a  crack  made  in  a  hard  basaltic  rock 
from  the  right  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Zambesi,  and 
then  prolonged  from  the  left  bank  away  through  thirty 
or  forty  miles  of  hills.  If  one  imagines  the  Thames 
filled  with  low,  tree-covered  hills  immediately  beyond 
the  tunnel,  extending  as  far  as  Gravesend,  the  bed  of 
black  basaltic  rock  instead  of  London  mud,  and  a 
fissure  made  therein  from  one  end  of  the  tunnel  to 
the  other  down  through  the  keystones  of  the  arch, 
and  prolonged  from  the  left  end  of  the  tunnel  through 
thirty  miles  of  hills,  the  pathway  being  one  hundred 
feet  down  from  the  bed  of  the  river  instead  of  what  it 
is,  with  the  lips  of  the  fissure  from  eighty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet  apart,  then  fancy  the  Thames  leaping  boldly 
into  the  gulf,  and  forced  there  to  change  its  direction 
and  flow  from  the  right  to  the  left  bank  and  then  rush 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  II9 

boiling  and  roaring  through  the  hills,  he  may  have 
some  idea  of  what  takes  place  at  this,  the  most  won- 
derful sieht  I  had  witnessed  in  Africa.  In  looking 
down  into  the  fissure  on  the  right  of  the  island,  one 
sees  nothing  but  a  dense  white  cloud,  which,  at  the 
time  we  visited  the  spot  had  two  bright  rainbows  on 
it.  (The  sun  was  on  the  meridian,  and  the. declina- 
tion about  equal  to  the  latitude  of  the  place.)  From 
this  cloud  rushed  up  a  great  jet  of  vapor  exactly  like 
steam,  and  it  mounted  two  hundred  or  three  hundred 
feet  high  ;  there,  condensing,  it  changed  its  hue  to 
that  of  dark  smoke,  and  came  back  in  a  constant 
shower,  which  soon  wetted  us  to  the  skin.  This 
shower  falls  chiefly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fissure 
and  a  few  yards  back  from  the  lip  there  stands  a 
straight  hedge  of  evergreen  trees,  whose  leaves  are 
always  wet.  From  their  roots  a  number  of  little  rills 
run  back  into  the  gulf;  but,  as  they  flow  down  the 
steep  wall  there,  the  column  of  vapor,  in  its  ascent, 
licks  them  up  clean  off  the  rock,  and  away  they  mount 
again.  They  are  constantly  running  down,  but  never 
reach  the  bottom. 

"On  the  left  of  the  island  we  see  the  water  at  the 
bottom,  a  white  rolling  mass  moving  away  to  the  pro- 
longation of  the  fissure,  which  branches  off  near  the 
left  bank  of  the  river.  A  piece  of  the  rock  has  fallen 
off  a  spot  on  the  left  of  the  island,  and  juts  out  from 
the  water  below,  and  from  it  I  judged  the  distance 
which  the  water  falls  to  be  about  one  hundred  feet. 
The  walls  of  this  gigantic  crack  are  perpendicular, 
and  composed  of  one  homogeneous  mass  of  rock. 
The  edge  of  that  side  over  which  the  water  falls  is 


120  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

worn  off  two  or  three  feet,  and  pieces  have  fallen 
away,  so  as  to  give  it  somewhat  of  a  serrated  appear- 
ance. That  over  which  the  water  does  not  fall  is 
quite  straight,  except  at  the  left  corner,  where  a  rent 
appears  and  a  piece  seems  inclined  to  fall  off.  Upon 
the  whole,  it  is  nearly  in  the  state  in  which  it  was 
left  at  tjie  period  of  its  formation.  The  rock  is  dark 
brown  in  color,  except  about  ten  feet  from  the  bot- 
tom, which  is  discolored  by  the  annual  rise  of  the 
water  to  that  or  a  greater  height.  On  the  left  side 
of  the  island  we  have  a  good  view  of  the  mass  of 
water  which  causes  one  of  the  columns  of  vapor  to 
ascend,  as  it  leaps  quite  clear  of  the  rock,  and  forms 
a  thick  unbroken  fleece  all  the  way  to  the  bottom. 
Its  whiteness  gave  the  idea  of  snow,  a  sight  I  had 
not  seen  for  many  a  day.  As  it  broke  into'  (if*  I  may 
use  the  term)  pieces  of  water  all  rushing  on  in  the 
same  direction,  each  gave  off  several  rays  of  foam, 
exactly  as  bits  of  steel,  when  burned  in  oxygen  gas, 
give  off  rays  of  sparks.  The  snow-white  sheet  seemed 
like  myriads  of  small  comets  rushing  on  in  one  di- 
rection, each  of  which  left  behind  its  nucleus-rays  of 
foam.  I  never  saw  the  appearance  referred  to  noticed 
elsewhere.  It  seemed  to  be  the  effect  of  the  mass 
of  water  leaping  at  once  clear  of  the  rock  and  but 
slowly  breaking  up  into  spray. 

u  I  have  mentioned  that  we  saw  five  columns  of 
vapor  ascending  from  this  strange  abyss.  They  are 
evidently  formed  by  the  compression  suffered  by  the 
force  of  the  water's  own  fall  into  an  unyieldingwedge- 
shaped  space.  Of  the  five  columns,  two  on  the  right 
and  one  on  the  left  of  the  island  were  the  largest, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  121 

and  the  streams  which  formed  them  seemed  each  to 
exceed  in  size  the  falls  of  the  Clyde  at  Stonebyres 
when  that  river  is  in  flood.  This  was  the  period  of 
low-water  in  the  Leeambye ;  but,  as  far  as  I  could 
guess,  there  was  a  flow  of  five  or  six  hundred  yards 
of  water,  which,  at  the  edge  of  the  fall,  seemed  at 
least  three  feet  deep." 

From  the  falls,  the  explorer  returned  up  the  river 
to  Kalai,  where,  on  November  20th,  he  bade  adieu  to 
Sekeletu  and  the  Makololo,  and,  with  a  company  of 
114  men  furnished  by  the  generous  chief  as  escort 
and  to  carry  tusks  to  the  east  coast,  struck  out  on 
his  long  journey,  first  going  northward,  and  for 
several  hundred  miles  leaving  the  Zambesi  far  to  his 
right.  The  journey  for  a  long  distance  lay  through 
the  country  of  the  Batoka.  All  the  tribes  of  this 
people  have  the  custom  of  knocking  out  their  front 
upper  teeth  when  the  individuals  arrive  at  the  age  of 
puberty.  This  is  true  of  both  males  and  females. 
The  under  teeth  in  consequence  grow  long  and  pro- 
ject outwards,  giving  the  people  a  hideous  appear- 
ance especially  when  they  laugh.  Sebituane  with  all 
his  power  was  unable  to  eradicate  this  practice.  The 
women  are  very  scantily  clothed,  but  the  men  go 
about  in  puris  naturalibtts  and  without  the  smallest 
sense  of  shame.  Their  mode  of  salutation  is  em- 
phatic but  singular.  They  throw  themselves  on  their 
backs  on  the  ground,  and  rolling  from  side  to  side 
slap  the  outside  of  their  thighs  as  expressive  of  thank- 
fulness and  welcome,  and  uttering  "  kina  bomba."  The 
chief  of  the  Batoka  was  Monze,  who  came  one  Sun- 
day, wrapped  in  an  extemporized  shawl,  and  saluted 


122  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

the  travelers,  by  rolling,  clapping,  and  singing  out 
"  kina  bomba"  like  all  the  rest  of  them.  These  peo- 
ple, though  having  many  barbarous  and  repulsive 
customs,  were  friendly  and  in  their  savage  way  quite 
hospitable.  While  passing  through  the  country  of 
the  Batoka  the  travelers  were  visited  by  a  number  of 
Bashukulompo,  a  tribe  who  live  to  the  northward. 
They  wear  their  hair  in  immense  cones,  most  of  which 
are  constructed  straight  up  from  the  head,  but  some 
obliquely.  To  keep  these  ornaments  Li  order  must 
require  as  much  attention  as  a  modern  belle  gives  to- 
head-dress,  chignon,  braid,  waterfall,  and  all.  But  it 
may  be  claimed  as  a  general  truth,  applying  to  all 
races  of  mankind,  that  much  attention  is  given  to 
the  external  portions  of  the  head. 

The  country  through  which  the  expedition  was 
now  passing,  was  one  of  great  beauty.  The  grass 
was  green,  trees  were  abundant,  and  instead  of  the 
vast  plains  of  the  Londa  territory  there  were  high 
ridges  and  hills,  making  the  country  such  as  is  often 
called  rolling.  It  was  not  long  after  leaving  Kalai 
that  the  Lekene  river  was  crossed,  and  soon  after- 
wards the  Unguesi.  These  both  flow  to  the  west, 
emptying  into  the  Leeambye  above  the  Falls  of  Vic- 
toria. In  the  vicinity  of  the  Mozuma  or  River  of 
Dila  there  were  many  ruins  of  large  towns  showing 
that  the  country  had  in  former  times  been  inhabited 
by  large  numbers  of  people.  The  depopulation  had 
been  caused  by  war,  for  the  principal  ruins  were  worn 
mill-stones  and  the  round  balls  of  quartz  with  which 
the  grinding  was  effected.  Had  the  people  removed 
in   peace,  they  would  have  taken   these  balls  with. 


Sayid  Berg  ash,  Sultan  of  Zanzibar. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  I         1 25 

them.  Here  Sebituane  had  formerly  lived,  and  in 
this  beautiful  pastoral  region  had  formerly  roamed 
vast  herds  of  cattle.  The  country  was  now  well  in- 
habited, for  large  numbers  came  daily  to  see  the 
white  men,  but  they  were  not  the  same  who  had  for- 
merly lived  here. 

There  was  no  diminution  in  the  number  of  wild 
animals.  With  the  exception  of  ostriches,  and  giraffes, 
"game"  was  even  more  abundant  than  Dr.  Living- 
stone had  ever  found  it  in  Africa.  Elephants,  buf- 
faloes, zebras,  and  antelopes  were  thick  as  autumnal 
leaves  that  strew  the  brooks  in  Vallambrosa.  All 
these  beasts  were  exceedingly  tame,  and  two  or  three 
elephants  were  sometimes  slain  in  a  single  day. 
There  were  many  birds  of  song,  too,  whose  notes 
were  very  pleasant,  but  appeared  to  the  Scotchman 
to  have  "  a  foreign  accent."  Their  plumage,  unlike 
that  of  most  of  the  birds  of  the  tropics  in  the  west- 
ern hemisphere,  is  not  brilliant.  There  are  some 
birds  whose  plumage  is  very  gay  and  beautiful,  and 
specimens  of  these  are  found  in  museums;  but  as  a 
rule  the  feathers  of  the  birds  of  central  South  Af- 
rica are  as  plain  as  those  of  the  birds  of  England. 
The  animals  generally  are  smaller  than  those  of  the 
southern  part  of  the  continent,  a  singular  fact,  seeing 
that  they  have  more  food  and  a  greater  variety. 
Farther  along  this  journey  Dr.  Livingstone  found 
that  the  people  built  their  huts  in  gardens  on  stages, 
as  a  protection  against  the  spotted  hyena,  a  cowardly 
animal,  but  which  will  attack  persons  when  asleep. 
He  has  amazing  powers  of  jaw,  and  will  crunch  the 
bones  of  an  ox  into  powder  for  his  food. 
8 


126  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

The  travelers  did  not  want  for  food.  Not  only 
were  the  animals  plenty,  but  many  fruit  trees  grow  in 
these  parts,  and  Dr.  Livingstones  companions  and 
escort  were  constantly  eating  as  they  journeyed.  The 
grass  is  shorter  and  richer  than  in  most  of  the  coun- 
try which  had  heretofore  been  traversed  and  there- 
fore better  for  the  cattle.  Flowers  abounded  also,  so 
that  on  all  accounts,  the  explorer-missionary  appears 
to  have  been  fully  justified  in  claiming  that  years  of 
experience  in  traveling  had  taught  him  how  to  make 
things  comfortable.  In  addition,  he  was  persuaded  of 
the  healthiness  of  the  country,  and  observing  many 
evidences  of  the  existence  of  coal,  confidence  in  the 
establishment  of  a  missionary  station  in  this  region 
became  strongly  fixed  in  his  mind.  And  the  more 
he  saw  of  the  people  and  their  many  savage  customs, 
the  more  was  he  convinced  of  the  desirability  of 
commerce  and  missionary  work  among  them. 

On  January  14th,  1856,  the  explorers  reached  the 
confluence  of  the  Loangwa  and  the  Zambesi.  Here 
are  the  ruins  of  Zumbo,  once  quite  a  missionary  sta- 
tion of  the  Jesuits  and  a  trading-post  of  the  Portu- 
guese. "  I  walked  about  some  ruins  I  discovered," 
says  Dr.  Livingstone,  "  built  of  stone,  and  found  the 
ruins  of  a  church,  and  on  one  side  lay  a  broken  bell, 
with  the  letters  I.  H.  S.  and  a  cross,  but  no  date. 
There  were  no  inscriptions  on  stone,  and  the  people 
could  not  tell  what  the  Bazunga  called  their  place." 
These  ruins  were  in  reality  all  that  was  left  of  Zumbo. 
There  were  ruins  of  eight  or  ten  stone  houses,  which 
had  evidently  been  surrounded  by  capacious  grounds, 
,v  church,  and,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Zambesi,  a 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  \2*J 

fort.  The  situation  for  a  commercial  site  was  excel- 
lent, and  the  locality  itself  beautiful,  but  it  seems  that 
the  slave  trade  had  demoralized  both  Jesuits  and 
merchants,  in  consequence  of  which  the  place  fell  into 
decay  and  the  melancholy  spectacle  of  ruin  which  it 
now  presents. 

The  Portuguese  and  the  African  tribes  through 
whose  country  Dr.  Livingstone  was  now  about  to 
pass,  had  recently  been  at  war,  and  though  peace  had 
been  declared  the  effect  of  late  hostilities  appeared  in 
suspicion,  the  rigid  enforcement  of  "  game  laws,"  and 
a  desire  to  compel  strangers  to  pay  toll  or  tribute. 
Hence  for  a  long  distance  the  party  traveled  so  as  to 
avoid  the  villages  and  to  see  as  little  of  the  people 
as  possible.  In  short,  to  avoid  trouble,  dispute,  and, 
perhaps,  conflict,  the  travelers  "  took  to  the  bush," 
first  negotiating  with  persons  familiar  with  the  coun- 
try to  guide  them  out  of  sight  of  the  towns,  and 
whither  they  desired  to  go.  By  thus  avoiding  the 
Africans,  the  party  met  more  animals.  This  resulted 
in  some  singular  incidents.  One  is  thus  related : 
"  The  bush  being  very  dense  and  high,  we  were  going 
along  among  the  trees,  when  three  buffaloes,  which 
we  had  unconsciously  passed  above  the  wind,  thought 
that  they  were  surrounded  by  men,  and  dashed  through 
our  line.  My  ox  set  off  at  a  gallop,  and  when  I  could 
manage  to  glance  back  I  saw  one  of  the  men  up  in 
the  air  about  five  feet  above  a  buffalo  which  was 
tearing  along  with  a  stream  of  blood  running  down 
his  flank,  When  I  got  back  to  the  poor  fellow,  I 
found  that  he  had  lighted  on  his  face,  and,  though  he 
had  been  carried  on  the  horns  of  the  buffalo  about 


128  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

twenty  yards  before  getting  the  final  toss,  the  skin 
was  not  pierced,  nor  was  a  bone  broken.  When  the 
beasts  appeared,  he  had  thrown  down  his  load  and 
stabbed  one  in  the  side.  It  turned  suddenly  upon 
him,  and,  before  he  could  use  a  tree  for  defence,  car- 
ried him  off.  We  shampooed  him  well,  and  then  went 
on,  and  in  about  a  week  he  was  able  to  engage  in  the 
hunt  again." 

Nevertheless,  the  great  beauty  of  the  country ;  the 
richness  and  variety  of  the  vegetation,  from  tr.ees  in 
whose   hollow  trunks  twenty  men  might  easily  have 
reposed,  to  the  most  delicate  flowers,  some  of  which 
came  up  in  the  morning,  budded,  bloomed,  and  passed 
away  before  the  day  was  done  ;  the  frequent  rains  ; 
the   comparative  coolness   of   the   atmosphere ;  the 
hills  and  the  swiftly-flowing  rivers  rendering  constant 
change  to  the  scenery, — all  these  things  together,  es- 
pecially   as    contrasted    with     the    long,     fatiguing 
wadings   through   the  vast   watery  plains  of  Londa 
and   the  dull,  level  views  of  Kolobeng,   gave   great 
cheerfulness   to   the   traveler,   and    it  may   well    be 
doubted  whether  he  would  at  this  time  have  regarded 
his  own  tossing  by  a  buffalo,  provided  no  limbs  had 
been  broken,  as  anything  more   than    a   good  joke. 
Moreover,  though  the  party  for  a  considerable  period 
avoided  head-men  and  villages,  as  we  have  seen,  its 
treatment  during   the  journey,  upon  the  whole,   was 
excessively  generous  and  kind.     "  In  few  other  coun- 
tries," remarks  Dr.  Livingstone,  "  would  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  sturdy  vagabonds  be  supported  by  the 
generosity  of  the  head-men  and  villagers,  and  what- 
ever they  gave  be  presented  with  politeness." 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 29 

On  February  ist  of  this  year  (1856)  the  party  met 
a  number  of  native  traders,  and  as  some  of  his  escort 
were  in  the  scant  toilet  of  the  Batoka,  being  that  of 
the  garden  of  Eden  with  the  exception  of  the  fig 
leaves,  some  American  calico  was  bought  for  them. 
It  was  manufactured  at  "  Lawrence  Mills,  Lowell," 
Massachusetts,  and  the  price  paid  for  the  quantity 
here  bought  in  "  the  kingdom  of  Chicova,"  as  it  has 
been  called,  though  erroneously,  was  two  small  tusks 
of  ivory.  The  explorer  made  careful  examinations 
in  the  district  of  Chicova  for  evidences  of  silver 
mines  reported  to  have  been  formerly  worked  there, 
but  could  learn  nothing  tending  to  persuade  him 
that  such  had  ever  been  the  case.  On  the  contrary, 
the  people  knew  not  the  difference  between  tin  and 
silver. 

For  a  great  distance  now  the  expedition  had  been 
through  the  country  of  the  Banyai.  The  Govern- 
ment of  this  people  is  peculiar,  being  a  sort  of  feu- 
dal republicanism.  The  chief  is  elected,  and  they 
choose  the  son  of  a  deceased  chiefs  sister  in  prefer- 
ence to  his  own  offspring.  When  dissatisfied  with 
one  candidate,  they  even  go  to  a  distant  tribe  for  a 
successor,  who  is  usually  of  the  family  of  the  late 
chief,  a  brother's  or  sister's  son,  but  never  his  own  son 
or  daughter.  The  children  of  the  chiefs  have  fewer 
privileges  than  the  free  men  generally ;  but  they  can 
never  be  sold  into  slavery.  The  Banyai  are  a  fine 
race.  A  great  many  of  them  are  of  a  light  coffee- 
and-milk  color.  As  they  draw  out  their  hair  into 
small  cords  a  foot  in  length,  and  entwine  the  inner 
bark  of  a  certain  tree  round  each  separate  cord,  and 


I30  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

dye  this  substance  of  a  reddish  color,  they  put  the 
explorer  in  mind  of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  When 
traveling,  the  Banyai  draw  this  hair  up  into  a  bunch 
and  tie  it  on  top  of  the  head.  They  are  very  cleanly 
in  their  habits. 

On  March  3d,  the  party  reached  Tete,  a  place  on 
the  Zambesi,  in  possession  of  the  Portuguese.  The 
commandant,  Major  Sicard,  received  Dr.  Livingstone 
with  most  generous  welcome.  He  also  presented  his 
men  with  abundance  of  provisions,  and  one  of  his 
own  houses  in  which  to  live,  free  from  the  bite  of  the 
tampans,  till  they  could  construct  their,  own  huts. 
The  bite  of  this  insect  sometimes  causes  fatal  fever. 
44  It  may  please  our  homoeopathic  friends,"  says  Dr. 
Livingstone,  "to  hear  that  in  curing  the  bite  of  the 
tampan,  the  natives  administer  one  of  the  insects 
bruised  in  the  medicine  employed." 

Formerly  a  place  of  very  considerable  importance, 
Tete  had  now  become  comparatively  a  ruin,  with  but 
two  or  three  thousand  inhabitants  and  insignificant 
trade.  The  cause  of  decadence  of  Portuguese  power 
here  is  very  clearly  stated  by  Dr.  Livingstone.  At 
first,  considerable  quantities  of  wheat,  millet,  maize, 
coffee,  sugar,  indigo,  besides  gold  and  ivory,  were  ex- 
ported. The  agricultural  resources  of  the  country 
round  about  are  very  great.  Gold  dust  was  procured 
at  various  washings  north,  south,  and  west  of  Tete. 
The  interior  swarmed  with  elephants,  and  ivory  could 
be  bought  for  a  song.  Slaves  were  used  in  agricul- 
ture, gold-washing,  and  elephant  hunting.  A  market 
for  these  was  opened,  and  they  were  sold  for  trans- 
portation. Thus  the  goose  which  laid  the  golden  eggs 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  131 

was  slain.  Tete  declined,  and  is  now  of  less  import- 
ance than  a  great  majority  of  the  county  towns  of  the 
United  States.  There  is  a  wall  about  the  old  town, 
within  which  are  a  few  European  houses.  Most  of 
the  people  (natives)  live  outside  the  walls  and  engage 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  At  the  time  of  Livingstones 
visit  there  were  less  than  a  score  of  Portuguese  in 
the  place,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  soldiers  tem- 
porarily stationed  there  on  account  of  sickness  at  a 
post  lower  down  the  Zambesi.  All  the  country  round 
about  available  for  agricultural  purposes,  is  under 
cultivation.  The  value  of  goods  now  required  for 
the  trade  of  Tete  is  only  about  $45,000  annually. 
Plantations  of  coffee,  formerly  profitable,  and  export- 
ing considerable  quantities,  are  now  entirely  deserted, 
and  hardly  a  single  tree  can  be  found.  The  indigo 
is  found  growing  everywhere  and  large  quantities  of 
the  senna  plant  grow  in  and  about  Tete  but  neither 
is  collected.  There  are  no  less  than  three  gold-wash- 
ings near  Tete,  formerly  quite  productive,  now  but 
little  worked.  Dr.  Livingstone  himself  was  the  dis- 
coverer of  coal  deposits    not  far  distant. 

On  the  2 2d  of  April,  Dr.  Livingstone  left  Tete, 
and,  a  fine  boat  having  been  presented  to  him  by 
Major  Sicard,  the  commandant,  he  proceeded  by  the 
Zambesi  to  Senna,  where  he  arrived  on  the  27th. 
The  voyage  down  the  broad,  deep,  rapid  river, 
crowded  with  cultivated  islands,  and  most  of  the  way 
bounded  by  shores  of  picturesque  beauty,  was  like  a 
pleasure  trip.  The  great  traveler  thought  the  state 
of  Tete  quite  lamentable,  but  found  that  of  Senna 
ten  times  worse.     Every  thing  was  in  a  state  of  stag- 


I32  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

nation  and  ruin.  There  was  but  a  single  exception, 
and  this  not  among  the  Portugese  or  half-castes. 
Some  Africans  were  building  boats  after  the  Euro- 
pean model.  They  are  very  well  made  and  sell  at 
prices  ranging  from  $100  to  $500. 

On  the  nth  of  May,  the  whole  population  of 
Senna  turned  out  to  witness  Dr.  Livingstone's  depar- 
ture. His  party  was  now  small,  a  number  having 
been  left  at  Tete  and  others  here,  hired  to  transport 
government  goods  in  canoes  to  the  former  place. 
The  commandant  had  liberally  supplied  provisions, 
and  the  sail  down  the  Zambesi  to  Mazaro,  the  begin- 
ing  of  the  great  river's  delta  was  very  pleasant.  At 
Mazaro,  the  party  took  the  way  by  the  Kilimane 
river,  being  that  portion  of  the  Zambesi  known  by 
this  name,  and  arrived  at  the  town  of  Kilimane  on 
the  20th  of  May.  This  is  a  most  disconsolate  place, 
in  a  marshy,  unhealthful  situation,  several  miles  distant 
from  the  ocean.  Here  the  Missionary  remained  un- 
til July  1 2th,  when,  accompanied  by  his  faithful  Ma- 
kololo  companion,  Sekwebu,  he  embarked  on  Her 
Majesty's  brig  "  Frolic"  for  Mauritius.  The  voyage 
was  made  in  precisely  one  month.  Sekwebu  was  a 
general  favorite  on  shipboard,  and  rapidly  picked  up 
a  knowledge  of  English.  At  Mauritius  a  steamer 
came  out  to  tow  the  vessel  into  the  harbor.  Sek- 
webu, the  strain  on  whose  mind  by  new  and  con- 
stantly changing  scenes  had  been  severe,  and  had 
given  evidences  of  aberration,  now  became  insane, 
and  on  the  following  day  cast  himself  into  the  sea, 
and  pulling  himself  down  by  the  chain  cable,  was 
drowned.     Poor  fellow  !     This  was  the  last  that  was 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 33 

ever  seen  of  this  fine  Makololo  gentleman.     A  long 
and  careful  search  for  his  body  was  unsucessful. 

— And  here  it  will  be  proper  to  take  a  retrospective 
view  of  the  missionary  labors,  explorations,  scientific 
researches  of  Dr.  Livingstone  thus  far  made  in  the 
continent  which  had  so  long  sat  in  darkness. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  he  arrived  at  Cape 
Town,  in  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  Africa  in 
1840.  When,  therefore,  he  sailed  from  Kilimane  in 
July,  1856,  he  had  been  sixteen  years  engaged  in 
laboring,  in  that  part  of  the  world  about  which  the 
least  had  been  known,  for  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  Christian  civilization  and  the  progress  of 
knowledge  and  science.  If  the  preceding  pages  and 
extracts  have  not  been  prepared  in  vain,  those  who 
have  read  them  have  correctly  concluded  that  Dr. 
Livingstone  is  no  ordinary  "  missionary  of  the  Gos- 
pel." It  is  much,  very  much,  to  be  that.  He  is  that, 
and  more.  We  find  in  him,  for  instance,  many  of  the 
elements  of  a  successful  statesman.  If  he  cannot 
get  all  he  thinks  desirable,  he  will  take  all  the  good 
that  he  can  accomplish,  trusting  to  time,  reflection, 
and  God's  good  providence  to  bring  about  the  re- 
mainder. This  admirable  characteristic  was  most 
happily  illustrated,  so  far  as  individuals  are  con- 
cerned, in  the  notable  case  of  Sechele,  chief  of  the 
Bechuanas.  Had  it  been  undertaken  to  bring  him 
into  the  church  "with  a  rush "  there  might  indeed 
have  been  a  temporary  success,  but  he  probably 
would  have  gone  out  with  a  rush  before  long,  and 
accomplished  great  and  long-continued  harm  instead 
of  good.  Long  established  institutions — or  habits  and 


134  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

customs,  if  you  please,  of  tribes  of  men  whose  exist- 
ence has  continued  for  many  centuries — are  not  to  be 
hastily  overthrown,  even  though  they  may  have  been 
established  in  error,  or,  if  you  please  again,  human 
depravity.  A  child  with  a  hammer  in  its  hand,  or  a 
lunatic,  can  undermine  St.  Peters  and  bring  down  the 
majestic  pile  in  ruins.  Genius,  patience,  long  years 
of  labor  would  be  required  even  to  rebuild  it.  The 
faculty  of  tearing  down  is  oftentimes  admirable,  but 
when  one  can  destroy  evil  by  replacing  it  with  good 
he  has  the  true  inspiration  of  heaven  and  the  mag- 
nificent genius  of  progress.  If  Dr.  Livingstone  did 
not  leave  Kolobeng  with  so  many  professing  believ- 
ers in  the  religion  which  he  espoused  as  might  have 
been  encouraging  to  the  sanguine,  he  at  any  rate 
succeeded  in  eradicating  some  of  the  most  lamenta- 
ble notions  of  barbarism  from  the  minds  o(  the  Bak- 
wains,  and  implanting  instead  of  them  some  of  the 
most  beneficent  teachings  of  the  Christian  system. 
Thus  were  several  wars  prevented  among  the  tribes 
of  South  Africa  by  the  power  of  the  self-same  truths 
which  have  guided  to  illustrious  triumphs  of  peace 
the  international  polity  of  Mr.  Gladstone  and  John 
Bright,  and  this  long  before  the  Joint  High  Com- 
mission between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
had  been  dreamed  of.  If  the  Bakwains  were  not 
taken  at  once  from  the  gloom  of  barbarism  and 
placed  on  a  plane  of  civilization,  they  were  placed 
fairly  in  the  road  leading  thither,  and  year  by  year 
they  have  been  going  on  in  the  right  direction. 
They  are  no  longer  barbarians.  A  thousand  degrad- 
ing habits  and  customs  and  lamentable  errors  have 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 35 

been    abandoned.     They  are  growing  into   civilized 
beings  ;  and  their  civilization  will  be  Christian. 

A  similar  fact  is  true  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  influence 
among  the  Makololo.  Sebituane,  who  established 
this  singular  people  in  permanent  power  and  rude 
prosperity  throughout  a  large  proportion  of  cen- 
tral South  Africa,  though  a  man  of  war,  possessed, 
indeed,  by  nature,  with  a  military  genius  of  most 
remarkable  scope  and  versatility,  was  undoubtedly 
greatly  the  superior  in  moral  attributes  of  his  suc- 
cessor, Sekeletu,  as  he  certainly  was  among  the 
foremost  of  all  modern  Africans  of  whom  we  have 
any  knowledge  in  practical  statesmanship.  He  was 
in  reality  a  much  greater  man  than  many  a  hero  of 
classical  story  and  song,  and  may  with  no  little  ap- 
propriateness be  called  the  Robert  Bruce  of  central 
Africa.  Had  Sebituane  lived  a  few  years  longer,  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that,  with  Livingstone's  practical 
assistance,  the  condition  of  the  Makololo  would  have 
been  vastly  improved.  But,  though  Sekeletu  is  much 
inferior  in  ability  and  ambition  to  Sechele,  not  to 
mention  Sebituane,  yet  is  he,  through  Livingstone's 
influence,  a  much  wiser  and  abler  ruler  than,  accord- 
ing to  all  probability,  he  could  otherwise  have  been, 
and  his  people  are  more  ambitious,  more  prosperous, 
more  happy.  They  too  are  on  the  way  to  a  better 
and  higher  stage  of  existence.  Their  huts  are  better 
than  they  were ;  they  are  improving  their  breeds  of 
cattle  ;  their  system  of  agriculture  has  progressed  ; 
many  savage  punishments  and  customs  have  been 
abolished ;     their  growth    in  moral  and  intellectual 


I36  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

strength  is  evident.    Sekeletu,  though  greatly  inferior 
to  Sebituane,  rules  over  a  superior  people. 

Now  it  is  certain  that  in  acquiring  his  prodigious 
influence  over  either  the  Bakwains  or  the  Makololo, 
Dr.  Livingstone  preached  and  prayed  on  all  proper 
occasions ;  and  no  one  has  a  higher  appreciation  of 
the  efficacy  of  preaching  and  praying.  He  did  more. 
He  taught  the  people  how  to  build  houses  ;  how  to 
mend  wagons ;  how  to  do  a  thousand  little  things 
whereby  they  would  be  made  more  comfortable.  Thus 
by  degrees  their  minds  were  opened  to  receive  the  truth 
that  the  ways  of  civilization  are  good ;  and  one  by  one 
old  prejudices  were  eradicated,  old  errors  were  aban- 
doned, and  the  power  of  truth  and  justice  more  and 
more  acknowledged.  It  is  probable  that  since  the 
advent  of  Dr.  Livingstone  among  them,  the  Bak- 
wains and  Makololo  have  progressed  as  much  in 
government,  trade,  agriculture,  as  the  Saxons  of  Eng- 
land did  during  several  generations  after  the  battle 
of  Hastings.  Had  he  devoted  himself  strictly  to  re- 
ligious teaching,  no  such  result  could  have  taken  place. 
The  genius  of  common  sense  gave  him  a  notable  tri- 
umph ;  and  let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  common 
sense  ought  ever  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  of 
the  Christian  graces.  To  go  without  this  to  a  hea- 
then land  is  simply  to  cast  pearls  before  swine. 

Another  fact  that  ought  to  be  considered  in  any 
candid  review  of  this  explorer-missionary's  labors  in 
South  Africa  is  his  evident  comprehension  of  the 
whole  situation.  He  not  only  considered  Africa  from 
the  Christian  point  of  view — speaking  here  in  some- 
what of  a  technical  sense — but  he  looked  upon  it  as 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  I37 

a  field  also  for  humanitarian  efforts ;  for  scientific  re- 
searches ;  for  investigations  of  all  kinds  whereby  the 
sum  of  knowledge  might  be  increased  ;  for  the  spread 
of  commercial  relations  with  other  peoples ;  for  ad- 
vance in  a  knowledge  of  political  economy.  Hence 
he  had  no  qualms  of  conscience  upon  leaving  his 
Bakwain  friends  to  look  out  for  themselves  for  a  sea- 
son while  he  should,  undertake  a  journey  to  the  in- 
terior. Thus  he  discovered  Lake  Ngami,  whereby 
his  power  as  a  missionary  preacher  was  in  no  degree 
increased,  but  his  influence  with  the  world  of  letters 
and  science  was.  So,  too,  his  discovery  of  the  Zam- 
besi river  in  the  central  portion  o(  South  Africa 
greatly  aided  in  making  his  character  respected  by 
many  leading  minds  of  the  world,  who  by  this  means 
were  led,  first,  to  have  a  respect  for  missionaries,  and 
then  for  the  cause  which  missionaries  represented. 
Many  a  fine  mind  in  Christendom  which  had  thought 
of  the  Africans  about  as  Cuvier  might  have  thought 
of  a  rhinoceros,  Agassiz  of  a  megatherium,  or  Colonel 
Foster  of  a  mound-builder,  through  these  discoveries 
was  led  to  reflect  at  least  upon  the  importance  if  not 
the  duty  of  preventing  such  vast  masses  of  humanity 
as  lived  round  the  lakes  and  along  the  magnificent 
rivers  of  Africa  from  going  to  waste.  Thus  Chris- 
tianity received  a  valuable  reinforcement  of  allies  if 
not  of  devotees. 

Patience,  in  great  degree,  is,  perhaps,  possessed  only 
by  extraordinary  minds.  It  enabled  Dr.  Livingstone, 
having  opened  the  way  for  civilization  in  Africa  to 
continue  his  explorations  in  other  portions  of  the  con- 
tinent, with  sublime  confidence  that  the  present  and 


I38  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

the  future  would  take  all  practicable  advantages  of 
the  past.  It  thus  happened,  as  a  consequence  of  his 
comprehensive  views  and  his  sublime  patience,  not 
only  that  men  of  letters  and  scientific  savants  every- 
where became  interested  in  Africa,  in  addition  to  the 
various  organized  Christian  societies  for  the  spread 
of  the  Gospel  in  heathen  lands,  but  the  spirit  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  was  aroused  in  that  behalf.  The 
Christian  church,  the  literati,  including  herein  the 
newspaper  press,  the  devotees  of  science,  have  vast 
influence  in  the  world  ;  but  when  these  are  reinforced 
by  what  we  call  the  commercial  world,  they  are  sure 
not  only  to  carry  the  war  for  civilization,  progress, 
and  profit,  into  Africa  but  through  it,  and  bring  to 
development  all  the  resources  of  the  people  and  the 
country.  We  know  nothing  that  can  stand  against  a 
cause,  sustained  by  the  prayers  of  the  Christian  church 
and  supported  by  the  power  of  the  men  on  'Change. 
This  three-fold  character  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  la- 
bors and  explorations  in  Africa  is  a  demonstration 
of  his  remarkable  genius.  Had  he  been  only  a  mis- 
sionary, his  work  might  have  demonstrated  his  per- 
sonal piety  and  been  long  remembered  by  religious 
societies.  Had  he  been  only  a  missionary  and  scien- 
tific explorer,  he  might  have  been  long  highly  es- 
teemed by  both  religious  and  learned  bodies.  Being 
a  missionary,  a  scientific  explorer,  and  a  man  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  necessities,  the  wants, 
and  the  enterprising  spirit  of  the  commercial  world, 
he  drew  to  the  field  of  his  labors  the  hearty 
interest  of  those  mighty  powers  which,  when  allied 
together,  never  have  known,  and  never  will  know, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 39 

such  word  as  fail.  America  would  perhaps  be  hardly 
better  known  than  Africa  to-day,  had  the  conversion 
of  the  aborigines  been  the  only  motive  impelling  to 
the  exploration  of  the  country.  Now  that  the  nat- 
ural agricultural,  manufacturing,  and  mineral  resources 
of  the  country  of  the  black  man  have  become  known, 
and  the  spirits  of  Christian  propagandism,  of  intel- 
lectual progress,  and  of  commercial  enterprise  have 
been  aroused  in  behalf  of  that  continent,  there  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  its  progress  during  the 
coming  few  years  will  be  greater  than  that  of  the  past 
hundreds  of  generations. 

Such,  it  cannot  be  questioned,  is  but  a  fair  outline 
of  the  general  character  of  this  great  explorer-mis- 
sionary's work  in  Africa  and  a  justifiable  prophecy  of 
its  probable  results. 

Those  whose  labors  are  purely  intellectual — and 
these  in  all  ages  have  been,  upon  the  whole,  the  great- 
est benefactors  of  mankind — are  apt  to  underesti- 
mate the  genius  of  those  whom  we  generally  call "  men 
of  action."  Dr.  Livingstone  is  a  man  of  action  not  only 
but  one  whose  whole  life  has  been  that  of  exceeding 
hard  work.  Bodily  and  intellectually  he  has  ever  been  a 
working  man.  His  labors  in  Africa,  extending  over 
a  period  of  sixteen  years,  included  moral  instruction, 
medical  attention,  mechanical  pursuits,  scientific  re- 
searches, astronomical  observations,  and  a  series  of 
explorations  in  an  unknown  country  and  among  sav- 
age, barbarous  tribes,  without  a  parallel,  perhaps,  all 
things  considered,  in  all  authentic  history  of  personal 
adventure.  When  he  went  to  South  Africa,  in  1840, 
the  vast  interior  was  wholly  unknown.     In  the  north- 


140  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ern  part  of  South  Africa  on  the  west  coast,  there 
were  a  number  of  Portuguese  settlements.  Along  the 
coast  for  several  hundred  miles  and  inland  some  two 
or  three  hundred,  the  natives  were  semi-subject  to 
this  foreign  people.  The  trade  of  the  country  was 
principally  in  slaves  and  ivory.  Below  this  expanse, 
known  on  the  maps  as  Lower  Guinea,  the  coast  ap- 
peared to  be  a  vast  extent  of  bleak  and  barren  des- 
ert. South  of  the  Orange  river  and  extending  here 
across  the  continent  and  on  the  east  side  still  farther 
north  was  a  collection  of  English  and  Dutch  Colo- 
nies, and  provinces  under  somewhat  civilized  native 
government,  all  being  more  or  less  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  British  of  Cape  Colony,  the  largest  of  all. 
Stretching  northward  along  the  east  coast  were  Mo- 
zambique and  Zanzibar  under  Portuguese  and  Moham- 
medan rule,  but  inhabited  by  tribes  who  were  discon- 
tented and  warlike.  These  portions  of  the  east 
coast  had  long  been  in  a  state  of  decadence,  a  melan- 
choly fact,  which  was  in  large  measure  owing,  as 
shown  d/  Dr.  Livingstone  himself,  when  speaking  of 
the  ruins  of  Zumbo,  Tete,  and  Senna  on  the  eastern 
Zambesi,  to  the  prevalence  of  the  slave  trade.  As 
to  the  vast  interior  of  this  continental  rim  all  was 
unknown  or  conjecture,  except  here  and  there  a  spot 
where  a  missionary  had  established  a  station,  and 
whence  had  irradiated  some  rays  of  knowledge  to  the 
outside  world.  Such  was  the  situation  of  South 
Africa  when  Dr.  Livingstone,  in  the  full  vigor  of 
young  manhood,  appeared  upon  the  scene,  a  recently- 
graduated  physician  and  an  humble  missionary.  He 
soon   proceeded  about  a  thousand  miles  into  the  in- 


Sayid  Suliman,  Grand  Vizer  of  Zanzibar. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  143 

terior,  and,  learning  the  language  of  a  people  who 
inhabit  a  wide  expanse  of  country,  established  a  mis- 
sionary station.  By  a  genuinely  philosophical  and 
liberal,  comprehensive  plan  of  education,  he  gradu- 
ally brought  this  people  to  adopt  many  of  the  most 
beneficent  rules  and  practices  of  civilization.  Before 
he  left  Africa,  it  could  not  with  truth  be  said  that  they 
were  a  barbarous  people.  Meantime,  he  had  crossed 
the  great  desert  of  Kalahari  and  discovered  Lake 
Ngami  and  the  Zambesi  river  in  the  centre  of  South 
Africa.  The  contributions  thus  made  to  the  geog- 
raphical knowledge  of  the  world  have  been  univer- 
sally and  generously  recognized,  as  have  been  also 
by  the  scientific  his  contributions  in  botany,  geology, 
and  natural  history.  This  journey,  by  different 
routes,  was  made  several  times  ;  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  his  suggestion  of  obtaining  water — the  only 
want  of  this  "  desert,"  wonderfully  prolific  in  grasses 
and  animals  which  require  little  water — by  means  of 
artesian  wells  may  result  in  reclaiming  a  vast  expanse 
to  cultivation  and  wealth. 

The  journey  from  Cape  Town  to  St.  Paul  de  Lo- 
anda,  particularly  that  portion  of  it  between  the 
region  of  Lake  Ngami  and  the  Portuguese  colony 
must  be  regarded  as  a  momentous  undertaking,  with 
results,  at  the  the  time  and  to  come,  of  the  greatest 
importance.  By  this  journey,  he  traversed  some 
thirty-one  degrees  of  latitude  and  about  fifteen  de- 
grees of  longitude.  The  route,  in  general,  was  in 
the  shape  of  the  arc  of  an  immense  circle,  and  the 
journey  could  not  have  been  much  less  than  three 
thousand  miles  in  length.  Remaining  a  consider- 
9 


144  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

able  period  among  the  Makololo,  a  great  people, 
numbering  many  tribes  inhabiting  the  central  portion 
of  South  Africa,  from  Lake  Ngami  on  the  south 
nearly  to  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba,  and  the  Lee- 
ambye  on  the  north  and  a  corresponding  distance 
east  and  west — a  district  about  as  large  as  France — 
he  became  greatly  influential  among  them,  and  was 
the  means  of  greatly  benefiting  their  condition.  It 
was  in  the  country  of  the  Makololo  that  Dr.  Living- 
stone discovered  the  Zambesi,  with  the  great  falls  of 
Gonye  and  the  wonderful  cataract  of  Victoria.  Be- 
tween here  and  the  limits  of  the  Portuguese  power 
he  discovered  vast  plains  for  many  weeks  of  the  year 
covered  with  water,  and  then  with  beautiful  flowers 
thick  as  grass.  Here  too  he  found  a  river  part  of 
whose  waters  sought  outlet  in  the  Indian  ocean,  and 
part  in  the  Atlantic.  He  discovered  that  Lake  Di- 
lolo  was  the  water-shed  between  the  two  oceans,  and 
yet  that  for  vast  distances  on  either  side  the  general 
elevation  of  the  country,  beyond  the  immense  flat 
plains  in  the  midst  of  which  is  Dilolo,  is  thousands  of 
feet  higher  than  that  at  the  water-shed.  Hence  he 
practically  discovered  that  the  general  form  of  this 
great  portion  of  Africa  was  that  of  an  immense  basin, 
with  crevices  here  and  there  for  the  escape  of  the 
water  through  the  rims  to  the  sea*  This  practical 
discovery  was  not  made,  however,  until  Dr.  Living- 

♦When  Dr.  Livingstone  arrived  in  England  in  1856,  he  discovered  that  Sir 
Roderick  Murchison,  the  distinguished  geologist,  in  his  discourse  before  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  in  1852,  had  enunciated,  from  Bain's  geological 
map  of  Cape  Colony  and  a  few  other  data,  a  hypothesis  of  the  configuration  of 
the  African  continent,  here  entirely  confirmed  by  Dr.  Livingstone.  The  latter's 
great  work  is  dedicated  to  Sir  Roderick,  in  fitting  terms,  with  this  fact  happily 
mentioned. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 45 

stone  had,  through  incredible  difficulties,  reached  the 
sea  shore  on  the  east  coast,  and  was  returning  again 
on  his  journey  "across  the  continent." 

This  journey,  of  which  we  have  just  given  a  rapid 
sketch  traversed  twenty-five  degrees  of  longitude.  It 
was  in  distance  traveled  about  two  thousand  miles, 
and  as  the  one  from  Linyanti,  the  capital  of  the 
Makololo,  to  Loanda,  the  capital  of  Portuguese  An- 
gola, demonstrated  the  practicability  of  a  route  to  the 
ocean  on  the  west,  so  did  this  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. When,  therefore,  Dr.  Livingstone  reached  the 
delta  of  the  Zambesi,  he  had  shown  by  his  own  ex- 
plorations that  journeys  could  be  made  to  central 
South  Africa  from  the  east,  the  west,  and  the  south. 
He  had  become  acquainted  with  large  numbers  of 
tribes,  about  all  of  whom  were  addicted  to  polygamy, 
some  to  repulsive  customs  and  superstitions,  idola- 
trous rites  and  degrading  beliefs.  He  found  many 
of  these  people  who  had  large  herds  of  cattle  and 
who  in  a  rude  way  gave  considerable  attention  to 
agriculture.  Many  were  little  inclined  either  to  su- 
perstition or  true  religion.  Few  had  any  notion  of 
trade  until  he  himself  taught  them  by  precept  and 
example  what  it  was.  He  had  discovered  several 
lakes  and  beautiful  rivers,  immense  level  plains  of 
great  fertility,  many  lovely  valleys  capable  of  produc- 
ing heavy  crops  of  grain.  He  had  discovered  sev- 
eral deposits  of  coal,  and  had  visited  gold  washings 
which  might  again  be  made  profitable.  Portions  of 
the  country  are  without  forest,  others  are  covered 
with  trees,  some  of  which  are  the  largest  and  most 
majestic  in  the  world. 


I46  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Thus  in  his  travels  of  more  than  nine  thousand 
miles,  this  great  explorer  had  taught  scholars  how  to 
make  geographical  and  geological  maps  of  a  very 
large  portion  of  the  globe.  He  had  interested  in  its 
people  and  in  its  growth  and  development  the  efforts 
of  the  Christian,  the  learned,  and  the  commercial 
public.  Those  efforts,  in  the  nature  of  things,  will 
not  cease  until  the  continent  shall  everywhere  become 
the  abode  of  the  friends  of  civilization  and  progress 
and  the  scene  of  many  of  their  permanent  and  benefi- 
cent triumphs.  Surely  if  man  ever  deserved  rest  from 
his  labors,  Dr.  Livingstone  now  did. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DR.   LIVINGSTONE  IN  ENGLAND. 

His  Reception  by  His  Countrymen— The  Preparation  of  His  Work  Entitled 
"  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches  in  South  Africa"— Favorably  Received 
by  Christendom. 

We  left  Dr.  Livingstone  on  shipboard  in  the  island 
of  Mauritius,  lamenting  the  untimely  death  of  his 
long-time  Makololo  companion,  Sekwebu.  He  re- 
mained here  enjoying  the  good  climate  and  English 
comfort,  and  getting  well  of  an  enlargement  of  the 
spleen — caused  by  some  thirty  different  attacks  of 
the  African  fever — for  several  months,  and  then  de- 
parted for  England.  Taking  the  route  by  the  Red 
Sea,  and  happily  avoiding  a  threatened  shipwreck,  he 
reached  home  on  the  12th  of  December  as  happy 
and  grateful  a  man,  no  doubt,  as  there  was  in  the 
three  kingdoms. 

One  remarkable  effect  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  long 
sojourn  and  travels  among  the  tribes  of  Africa  was 
that,  so  far  as  his  native  language  was  concerned,  it 
almost  untongued  him.  He  had  so  long  almost  ex- 
clusively spoken  in  one  or  another  foreign  language 
or  dialect,  and  for  nearly  five  years  had  only  met  with 
an  Englishmen  now  and  then,  that  when  he  went 
aboard  the  "  Frolic"  off  Kilimane,  he  found  himself 
almost  tongue-tied.  "  I  seemed  to  know  the  language 
perfectly,"  says  he,  "but  the  words  I  wanted  would 
not  come  at  my  call."     By  the  time  he  reached  Eng- 

147 


I48  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

land,  however,  this  cause  of  embarrassment  among 
Englishman  had  greatly  diminished,  and  he  could  re- 
spond to  the  hearty  receptions  with  which  he  was 
everywhere  greeted  in  good  vigorous  Saxon.  Soon 
there  was  no  halt  in  his  speech  at  all. 

It  is  probably  true  that  no  returned  missionary 
ever  met  with  a  more  cordial  reception  by  his  coun- 
trymen than  did  Dr.  Livingstone.  He  was  welcomed 
by  all  classes  of  people,  while  religious  bodies,  mis- 
sionary societies,  and  select  circles  of  learned  men 
hastened  to  express  their  appreciation  of  his  great 
labors  and  discoveries.  Medals,  fellowships,  and  mem- 
berships of  various  associations  for  the  cultivation  and 
spread  of  knowledge  and  science  were  conferred  upon 
him.  Nor  were  these  recognitions  confined  to  asso- 
ciations in  his  own  country,  but  came  also  from 
France,  the  United  States,  and  other  lands.  During 
the  period  of  his  absence  the  public  press  of  his  na- 
tive land  and  the  United  States  had  been  so  wonder- 
fully enlarged  in  scope  by  the  magnetic  telegraph, 
and  its  influence  had  been  so  greatly  increased  in 
consequence  thereof  and  of  the  enterprising  spirit 
of  certain  journalists  whose  names  have  since  become 
celebrated  throughout  the  world,  that  it  might  well 
be  said  a  new  power  had  grown  up  in  the  state  and 
society.  Reports  of  meetings  in  honor  of  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone were  carried  by  ten  thousand  of  the  swift- 
est wings  all  over  the  kingdom,  and  very  soon  after- 
wards all  over  the  United  States.  Thus,  in  all  that 
vast  portion  of  the  world  where  the  English  is  the 
language  of  the  people,  more  was  known  in  a  few 
days  of  his  explorations  in  Africa  than  would  have 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 49 

been  known  to  the  learned  few  in  many  weeks  or 
months  had  those  explorations  ended  about  the  time 
at  which  they  commenced. 

It  was  impossible  that  the  world  should  be  satis- 
fied with  the  mere  outlines  of  a  career  which  had 
been  so  adventurous  and  so  useful  as  that  of  this 
great  explorer  in  Africa.  The  more  the  press  pub- 
lished in  regard  to  it,  the  more  the  public  perceived 
that  a  full  account  could  not  but  contain  a  vast  quan- 
tity of  interesting  and  valuable  reading  matter.  Ac- 
cordingly, Dr.  Livingstone  was  induced  to  prepare 
that  volume — "  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches 
in  South  Africa" — upon  which  his  literary  fame  with 
the  world  at  large  thus  far  rests,  and  which  unfolded 
to  the  reading  public  a  series  of  strange  pictures 
upon  which  the  public  has  ever  since  looked  with 
deep  and  growing  interest. 

The  preparation  of  this  volume,  which,  it  is  be- 
lieved, may  writh  justice  be  pronounced  a  work  which 
the  world  will  not  willingly  let  die,  was,  perhaps,  the 
most  difficult  of  all  Dr.  Livingstone's  great  under- 
takings. "  The  preparation  of  this  narrative,"  he 
says  in  his  preface,  "  has  taken  much  longer  time 
than,  from  my  inexperience  in  authorship,  I  had  an- 
ticipated." And  he  goes  on  to  say  that  "  those  who 
have  never  carried  a  book  through  the  press  can 
form  no  idea  of  the  amount  of  toil  it  involves.  The 
process  has  increased  my  respect  for  authors  and 
authoresses  a  thousand-fold."  The  work  was  really 
commenced  upon  the  invitation  of  Sir  Roderick 
Murchison,  President  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Soci- 
ety, which  had  given  Dr.  Livingstone  a  special  meet- 


I50  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ing  of  welcome  upon  his  return  from  Africa.  The 
design  came  near  being  frustrated,  however,  by  the 
explorer's  inability  to  provide  for  his  Makololo  escort 
and  companions,  whom  he  had  left  at  Tete,  Senna, 
and  Kilimane  (often  spelled  Quilimane).  This  diffi- 
culty was  overcome,  however,  by  His  Majesty  Don 
Pedro  V.,  of  Portugal,  who  sent  out  orders  for  the 
support  of  these  men  until  Dr.  Livingstone  should 
return.  Thus  freed  from  care  on  this  account,  he 
proceeded  with  his  work  of  authorship,  and  gave  to 
it,  as  must  be  evident  to  every  one  who  has  carefully 
examined  it,  the  greatest  study  and  pains.  As  a 
work  of  literary  art,  it  is  surely  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete successes  among  books  of  the  kind  which  have 
ever  been  published.  Perhaps  it  may  truthfully  be 
called  among  books  of  its  general  kind  the  greatest 
success. 

The  work  was  completed  and  went  to  press  in  the 
year  1857,  and  at  once  met  with  the  most  generous 
reception  by  the  reading  public  and  the  favorable 
judgment  of  critics.  It  was  speedily  republished  in 
the  United  States,  where  very  large  editions  were 
rapidly  sold.  No  inexperienced  author  of  a  work  of 
a  serious  nature  ever  found  his  way  more  rapidly  t6 
the  general  reading  public  than  David  Livingstone. 
His  book  was  a  faithful  dauguerreotype  of  his  labors 
in  Africa,  and  these,  as  we  have  already  seen,  were  of 
a  three-fold  nature  ;  such,  namely,  as  to  be  of  special 
interest  and  value  to  all  Christian  denominations  in-^ 
terested  in  the  work  of  missionaries ;  to  all  men  de- 
voted to  the  acquisition  and  spread  of  scientific 
knowledge;   and  also  to  that  large,  influential,  and 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  I5I 

practical  class  of  men  who  conduct  the  trade  and 
commerce  of  the  world.  For  all  these,  he  was  in- 
spired by  his  remarkable  genius  to  construct  a  work 
which  was  at  once  instructive,  interesting,  and  valu- 
able. And  hence  the  fact  that  his  work  was  favor- 
ably received  throughout  Christendom  was  but  na- 
tural, and  one  of  the  logical  results  of  the  liberal 
spirit  with  which  he  did  everything  that  he  was  called 
upon  to  do. 

And  here,  perhaps,  it  might  be  well  enough  to  close 
the  account  of  the  literary  labors  and  results  con- 
nected with  Dr.  Livingstone's  first  sojourn  in  Africa. 
It  may  be  well  to  remark,  however,  that  even  before 
the  appearance  of  his  great  work,  several  attempts 
were  made  in  England  to  impose  upon  the  public,  as 
his,  spurious  narratives  of  his  travels.  The  journals 
of  London,  however,  were  quick  to  expose  them,  and 
the  booksellers  utterly  refused  to  have  anything  to 
do  with  them,  greatly  to  the  credit  and  honor  of  the 
trade.  Some  two  years  after  his  work  was  published, 
a  volume  appeared  in  America,  the  title-page  of 
which  was  almost  identical  with  that  of  the  original 
work,  and  upon  which  copyright  was  published  as 
secured  according  to  law.  It  is  simply  the  work  of 
Livingstone,  greatly  and  most  injuriously  abridged, 
with  an  addendum  giving  an  outline  of  a  few  dis- 
coveries in  Africa,  familiar  to  every  school  boy.  So  far 
as  it  goes,  it  is  Livingstone,  word  for  word,  but  very 
many  pages  to  which  he  evidently  gave  the  greatest 
study  and  in  which  he  took  the  greatest  pride,  are  en- 
tirely omitted.  Thus,  for  example,  the  whole  of  his 
interesting  account  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Dilolo 


j£j2  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

as  the  water-shed  of  central  South  Africa,  with  that 
singular  river  sending  part  of  its  waters  to  the  At- 
lantic, part  to  the  Indian  Ocean,  is  expunged.  Other 
equally  interesting  portions  of  the  work  are  wanting. 
And  this  book  is  duly  "  entered  according  to  the  act 
of  Congress."  It  is  like  authorizing  some  one  to  take 
out  a  copyright  on  the  play  of  Hamlet,  whose  author- 
ship in  the  business  had  consisted  in  removing  Ham- 
let altogether  from  the  drama.  Such  murder  of 
genius  in  accordance  with  the  forms  of  law  is  hardly 
less  than  atrocious.  Perhaps  that  wretched  travesty 
of  Mr.  Dickens's  most  brilliant  and  powerful  novel, 
which  travesty  goes  by  the  name  of  "  Newman 
Noggs"  and  is  often  represented  on  the  American 
stage,  is  copyrighted.  These  things  being  so,  do  we 
have  any  copyrights  which  white  men,  or  any  other 
men,  are  bound  to  respect  ?* 

And  here  the  great  explorer  might  have  rested 
upon  his  laurels.  None  of  his  cdtemporaries  had 
done  more,  all  things  considered,  for  religion,  science, 
and  mankind.  Had  ambition  only  guided  him  he 
would  have  been  content ;  but  genius  and  duty  im- 
pelled him  to  again  forsake  those  "  English  comforts," 

*  There  is  a  patent  medicine  originally  compounded  in  the  United  States— 
and  it  is  understood  to  be  good  enough  in  its  way — known  as  "Perry  Davis's 
Pain  Killer."  Merit  and  reservoirs  of  printer's  ink  made  it  famous.  It  was 
proceeding  in  a  perfect  march  of  triumph  against  the  combined  pains — particu- 
larly those  of  the  stomach — of  America  and  Europe,  when  a  noted  manufacturer 
of  Mustang  liniment  got  up  a  "pain  killer"  and  labeled  his  vials  with  an  exact 
fac  simiU—  Perry  Davis's  jolly  head  and  all— of  the  other.  The  fact  becoming 
known,  he  was  compelled  to  peremptorily  stop  this  spurious  business.  It  is 
something  that  the  great  republic  protects  the  regular  workings  of  men's  stom- 
achs. After  a  while  it  may  give  some  proper  protection  to  the  labors  of  men's 
brains. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  153 

which  are,  in  fact,  perhaps,  the  most  comfortable  in 
the  world*  and  proceed  for  the  second  time  to  that 
continent  about  which  he  had  himself  thrown  a  pe- 
culiar charm  and  interest  which,  it  would  appear,  can 
only  increase  with  time,  and  as  modern  enterprise 
and  civilization  extend  their  triumphs  and  their 
beneficent  influences  over  the  land  on  so  large  part 
of  which  he  was  long  the  solitary  and  intrepid  ex 
plorer. 

*  I  so  conclude  from  a  lecture  which  I  happened  once  to  hear  in  a  Western 
town,  entitled  "  English  Hearts  and  Homes,"  by  Mrs.  Celia  Logan — the  most 
instructive  and  interesting  essay  I  ever  heard  a  lady  read  on  the  platform. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SECOND  (AND  PRESENT)  EXPEDITION  TO 

AFRICA. 

Again  Sails  for  Africa— Painful  Reports  of  His  Death— The  Long  Suspense  in 
Regard  Thereto— Conflicting  Reports. 

Among  great  men  who  have  had  much  to  do  in 
directing  the  destinies  of  nations  or  any  considerable 
number  of  mankind,  there  have  been  two  kinds — one 
class,  who  supposed  they  controlled  events  and  by 
imperial  will  and  power  mastered  circumstances  and 
the  course  of  Providence ;  the  other,  composed  of 
those  who  have  modestly  imagined  they  were  but  in- 
struments in  the  hands  of  a  Superior  Power  through 
whom  some  of  his  beneficent  designs  were  to  be  ac- 
complished. Among  the  former  was  Napoleon  Bo- 
naparte, who  probably  thought  that  in  many  particu- 
lars God  was  entitled  to  high  respect,  but  that  in  the 
general  conduct  of  military  campaigns,  He  could  not  be 
compared  with  the  French  Emperor.  It  is  historically 
true  that  the  men  of  this  class  have  generally  inflict- 
ed great  evils  upon  mankind.  Of  the  other  class  of 
great  men,  David  Livingstone  is  a  conspicuous  ex- 
ample ;  and  the  one  thing  of  which  he  is  the  most 
unaffectedly  ignorant  is  his  own  genius.  "  If  the 
reader  remembers,"  he  modestly  remarks  near  the 
close  of  his  work,  "  the  way  in  which  I  was  led,  while 
teaching  the  Bakwains,  to  commence  exploration,  he 
will,  I  think,  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence." 
And  he  goes  on  to  show  how,  previously  to  this,  Se- 

154 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 55 

bituane  had  gone  north  and  from  a  country  larger 
than  France  expelled  hordes  of  bloody  savages,  and 
occupied  their  country  with  a  people  speaking  the 
language  of  the  Bakwains.  Then  again  he  was  sin- 
gularly turned  toward  the  west  instead  of  the  east 
coast  of  Africa,  it  thus  happening  that  when  he  re- 
turned upon  his  great  expedition  across  the  continent, 
the  country  was  at  peace  and  his  life  saved.  Mean- 
lime,  Sechele  himself  at  Kolobeng  had  become  a 
missionary  to  his  own  people  and  they  were  becom- 
ing civilized.  "  I  think,"  he  concludes,  "  that  I  see  the 
operation  of  the  unseen  hand  in  all  this,  and  I  hum- 
bly hope  that  it  will  still  guide  me  to  do  good  in  my 
day  and  generation  in  Africa." 

But  this  explorer  was  withal  eminently  practical. 
He  wanted  British  merchants  as  well  as  English  mis- 
sionaries to  go  to  Africa,  and  thinking  that  philan- 
thropy and  profit  were  equally  interested,  he  believed 
that  the  explorations  he  had  already  made  fully  jus- 
tified the  opinion  that  still  further  discoveries  might 
completely  demonstrate  the  facti  that  Africa  was  not 
only  a  great  missionary  field  but  might  become  of 
the  greatest  value  in  the  commercial  world  through 
the  production  especially  of  cotton  and  sugar.  "  I 
propose,"  he  says,  "  to  spend  some  more  years  of  la- 
bor, and  shall  be  thankful  if  I  see  the  system  fairly 
begun  in  an  open  pathway  which  will  eventually  ben- 
efit both  Africa  and  England." 

From  all  which  it  is  clear  that  the  second  expe- 
dition of  Dr.  Livingstone  to  Africa,  and  which  has 
not  yet  (in  1872)  been  concluded,  was  the  result  of 
a  deliberate  ooinion  that,  with  the  blessing  of  heaven, 


I56  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

he  might  be  able  to  accomplish  that  which  should 
result  in  great  good  to  Africa  and  at  the  same  time 
help  to  increase  the  trade  and  commerce  of  his  own 
country.  '  Impelled  by  such  worthy  and  unselfish  mo- 
tives, he  again  left  England  in  March,  1858,  and 
sailed  for  Kilimane.  He  had  resigned  his  position 
as  missionary  for  the  London  Society,  but  the  British 
government  had  appointed  him  consul  at  Kilimane, 
with  the  understanding  that  he  was  not  on  this  ac- 
count to  give  up  his  character  of  explorer.  On  the 
contrary,  he  was  supplied  with  a  small  vessel,  and  ac- 
companied by  a  number  of  scientific  associates,  made 
a  number  of  exploring  expeditions  by  which  his  ideas 
in  respect  to  the  production  of  cotton  and  sugar  and 
the  overthrowlofjthe  slave  traffic  were  greatly  encour- 
aged, and  the  conclusion  reached  that  it  would  not 
be  long  before  the  opening  of  commercial  intercourse 
between  European  nations  and  the  tribes  of  South 
Africa.  It  was  afterwards  discovered  by  Mr.  Young, 
in  charge  of  an  English  expedition  of  search,  which 
proceeded  far  up  the  Zambesi  river,  that  the  memory 
of  Dr.  Livingstone  was  highly  revered,  and  his  in- 
fluence manifested  in  the  moral  improvement  of  the 
people  and  the  advancement  of  their  material  inter- 
ests. Subsequently,  Dr.  Livingstone  made  an  ex- 
pedition in  a  large  region  of  country  drained  by  the 
river  Rovuma,  which,  along  the  east  coast  of  Africa 
is  a  sort  of  boundary  between  Mohammedan  and 
Portuguese  authority.  For  this  expedition  a  steamer 
was  provided,  but  it  was  found  to  be  of  too  great 
draft  of  water  to  be  of  much  service.  Dr.  Living- 
stone, therefore,  with  the  object  of  accomplishing  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  157 

great  design. of  his  second  voyage  to  Africa,  returned 
to  England,  having  re-explored  a  large  portion  of 
country  along  the  Zambesi  and  visited  for  the  first 
time  the  tribes  of  a  large  extent  of  country  several 
hundred  miles  north  of  the  Zambesi  in  its  eastward 
course.  This  return  to  England  was,  however,  but  a 
part  of  the  expedition  upon  which  he  had  started  in 
1858,  or  rather  an  episode  in  it,  without  which  the 
original  object — the  discovery  of  the  principal  water- 
shed of  the  African  continent,  including  the  sources 
of  the  Nile — would  not  have  been  accomplished. 
Whilst,  therefore,  Dr.  Livingstone  has  made  three 
voyages  from  England  to  Africa,  it  will  be  more  con- 
venient to  group  his  series  of  explorations  under  the 
general  heading  of  two  great  expeditions — the  first, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  London  Missionary  So- 
ciety, the  second  under  those  of  the  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society,  with  special  assistance  from  the 
British  government. 

For  the  completion  of  the  series  of  explorations 
of  this  expedition,  upon  which  the  explorer  is,  in  1872, 
still  engaged,  he  left  England,  August  14th,  1865,  ac- 
companied by  his  daughter  as  far  as  Paris.  Thence 
he  proceeded  to  Bombay,  and  provided  himself  with 
materiel  and  men  for  the  work  before  him.  From 
Bombay  he  proceeded  to  Zanzibar,  and  on  March 
28th,  1866,  left  that  island  accompanied  by  two  boys 
— Chanma  and  Wakotasie — a  number  of  Sepoys, 
several  men  from  Johanna  Island,  and  some  Suahili 
from  a  school  at  Bombay,  and  having  reached  the 
main  land  proceeded  to  the  interior  by  the  river 
Rovuma.     As  he  proceeded  he  from  time  to  time  sent 


I58  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

back  accounts  of  his  progress  and  the  interesting 
incidents  of  his  explorations.  But  late  in  this  year 
the  leader  of  the  Johanna  men  arrived  at  Zanzibar 
with  a  story  that  Dr.  Livingstone  had  been  murdered 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Nyassa  by  a  band  of  Mazitus. 
The  tale  had  such  an  air  of  truth  that  no  one  doubted 
it.  Moosa's  story  being  fully  credited,  the  world  quite 
generally  gave  up  Dr.  Livingstone  as  lost.  Dr.  G. 
Edward  Seward,  resident  agent  of  the  English  gov- 
ernment at  Zanzibar,  condensed  Moosa's  information 
into  a  dispatch  to  Lord  Stanley,  Secretary  of  State 
for  Foreign  Affairs,  of  which  the  following  is  the 
principal  portion : 

"Zanzibar,  Dec.  10,  1866. 

"My  Lord — I  send  you  the  saddest  news.  Dr. 
Livingstone,  in  his  despatch  from  Ngomano,  informed 
your  Lordship  that  he  stood  '  on  the  threshold  of  the 
unexplored.'  Yet,  as  if  that  which  should  betide  him 
had  already  thrown  its  shadow  he  added: — '  It  is  but 
to  say  little  of  the  future.' 

"  My  Lord,  if  the  report  of  some  fugitives  from  his 
party  be  true,  this  brave  and  good  man  has  '  crossed 
the  threshold  of  the  unexplored' — he  has  confronted 
the  future  and  will  never  return.  He  was  slain,  so  it 
is  alleged,  during  a  sudden  and  unprovoked  encoun- 
ter with  thos^  very  Zulus  of  whom  he  says  in  his 
despatch,  that  they  had  laid  waste  the  country  round 
about  him  and  had  '  swept  away  the  food  from  above 
and  in  the  ground.'  With  an  escort  reduced  to  twenty 
by  desertion,  death  and  dismissals,  he  had  traversed, 
as  I  believe,  that  terra  incognita  between  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Loende  and  Rovuma  rivers,  at  Nyomano, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  l6l 

and  the  eastern  or  northeastern  littoral  of  Lake 
Nyassa  ;  had  crossed  the  lake  at  some  point  as  yet 
unascertained;  had  reached  a  station  named  Kom- 
poonda  or  Mapoonda,  on  its  western,  probably  its 
northwestern,  shore,  and  was  pushing  west  or  north- 
west, into  dangerous  ground,  when  between  Marenga 
and  Mukliosowe  a  band  of  implacable  savages  stopped 
the  way,  a  mixed  horde  of  Zulus,  or  Mafilte  and 
Nyassa  folk.  The  Nyassa  folk  were  armed  with  bow 
and  arrow,  the  Zulus  with  the  traditional  shield,  broad 
bladed  spears,  and  axes.  With  Livingstone  there 
were  nine  or  ten  muskets  ;  his  Johanna  men  were 
resting  with  their  loads  far  in  the  rear. 

"  The  Mafilte  instantly  came  on  to  fight ;  there  was 
no  parley,  no  avoidance  of  the  combat ;  they  came  on 
with  a  rush,  with  war  cries  and  rattling  on  their  shields 
their  spears.  As  Livingstone  and  his  party  raised 
their  pieces  their  onset  was  for  a  moment  checked, 
but  only  for  a  moment.  Livingstone  fired  and  two 
Zulus  were  shot  dead  (his  boys  fired  too  but  their 
fire  was  harmless) ;  he  was  in  the  act  of  reloading 
when  three  Mafilte  leaped  upon  him  through  the 
smoke.  There  was  no  resistance — there  could  be 
none— and  one  cruel  axe  cut  from  behind  him  put 
him  out  of  life.  He  fell,  and  when  he  fell  his  terror 
stricken  escort  fled,  hunted  by  the  Mafilte.  One  at 
least  of  the  fugitives  escaped;  and  he,  the  eye-wit- 
ness, it  is  who  tells  the  tale — Ali  Moosa,  chief  of  his 
escort  of  porters. 

"  The  party  had  left  the  western  shores  of  Nyassa 
about  five  days.  They  had  started  from  Kompoonda, 
on  the  lake's  borders  (they  left  the  havildar  of  Sepoys 

10 


1 62  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

there  dying  of  dysentery ;  Livingstone  had  dismissed 
the  other  Sepoys  of  the  Bombay  Twenty-first  at  Ma- 
taka),  and  had  rested  at  Marenga,  where  Livingstone 
was  cautioned  not  to  advance.  The  next  station  was 
Mahlivoora ;  they  were  traversing  a  flat  country, 
broken  by  small  hills,  and  abundantly  wooded. 

"  Indeed,  the  scene  of  the  tragedy  so  soon  to  be 
consumated  would  appear  to  have  been  an  open  for- 
est glade.  Livingstone,  as  usual,  led  the  way,  his 
nine  or  ten  unpractised  musketeers  at  his  heels.  Ali 
Moosa  had  nearly  come  up  with  them,  having  left 
his  own  Johanna  men  resting  with  their  loads  far  in 
the  rear.  Suddenly  he  heard  Livingstone  warn  the 
boys  that,  the  Ma-zitus  were  coming.  The  boys  in 
turn  beckoned  Moosa  to  press  forward.  Moosa  saw 
the  crowd  here  and  there  between  the  trees. 

"  He  had  just  gained  the  party  and  sunk  down  be- 
hind a  tree  to  deliver  his  own  fire  when  his  leader 
fell.  Moosa  fled  for  his  life  along  the  path  he  had 
come.  Meeting  his  Johanna  men,  who  threw  down 
their  loads  and  in  a  body  really  passed  Moosa,  his  es- 
cape and  that  of  his  party  verges  on  the  marvelous. 
However,  at  sunset,  they,  in  great  fear,  left  their  for- 
est refuge,  and  got  back  to  the  place  where  they 
hoped  to  find  their  baggage.  It  was  gone,  and  then, 
with  increasing  dread  they  crept  to  where  the  slain 
traveler  lay. 

"  Near  him,  in  front,  lay  the  grim  Zulus  who  were 
killed  under  his  sure  aim ;  here  and  there  lay  scat- 
tered some  four  dead  fugitives  of  the  expedition. 
That  one  blow  had  killed  him  outright,  he  had  no 
other  wound  but  this   terrible  gash  ;    it  must  have 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 63 

gone,  from  their  description,  through  the  neck  and 
spine  up  to  the  throat  in  front,  and  it  had  nearly  de- 
capitated him.  Death  came  mercifully  in  its  instant 
suddenness,  for  David  Livingstone  was  ever  ready. 

"  They  found  him  stripped  of  his  upper  clothing, 
the  Ma-zitus  had  respected  him  when  dead.  They 
dug  with  some  stakes  a  shallow  grave  and  hid  from 
the  starlight  the  stricken  temple  of  a  grand  spirit — 
the  body  of  an  apostle,  whose  martyrdom  should 
make  sacred  the  shores  of  that  sea  which  his  labors 
made  known  to  us,  and  which  now,  baptized  with  his 
life's  blood,  men  should  henceforth  know  as  ■  Lake 
Livingstone.'" 

Dr.  Seward  added  the  following  postscript  to  his 
despatch  to  the  foreign  office : 

"  The  date  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  death  is  left  as 
much  to  conjecture  as  the  place  of  his  grave.  All 
that  we  certainly  know  is  that  he  was  at  Nyomano 
on  the  1 8th  of  May  last;  that  he  proceeded  to  Mat- 
aka,  whence  he  sent  a  despatch  to  this  Consulate. 
From  Mataka  he  is  said  to  have  made  for  and  struck 
Nyassa,  which  he  crossed ;  but  where,  or  where  Mat- 
aka is,  cannot  be  ascertained.  The  runaway  Reuben, 
with  the  Sepoys,  states  that  Livingstone  left  Mataka 
a  few  days  before  they  set  out  on  their  return  jour- 
ney to  Zanzibar.  They  were  one  month  and  twenty 
days  on  the  road  to  Keelwa,  which  they  reached 
during  the  latter  days  of  September.  It  may  be  in- 
ferred from  this  that  Livingstone  left  Mataka  about 
the  middle  of  last  July.  The  Johanna  men  named 
six  weeks  as  the  probable  time  of  their  return  jour- 
ney from  Mapoonda  to  Keelwa  with  the  slave  cara- 


164  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

van.  The  fight  with  the  Zulus  took  place  sixteen 
days  before  they  set  out.  They  reached  Keelwa  in 
November,  Zanzibar  the  6th  of  December.  Roughly, 
then,  we  may  conjecture  the  death  of  their  leader  to 
have  happened  during  September.  The  statements 
of  our  informants  as  to  time,  distance,  and  direction 
are  distressingly  vague  and  untrustworthy." 

The  publication  of  this  despatch  at  once  created 
a  profound  sensation  throughout  the  civilized  world. 
There  being  no  apparent  reason  to  doubt  the  truth- 
fulness of  the  story,  it  was  quite  universally  accepted, 
and  most  men  lamented  the  death  of  the  great  ex- 
plorer with  unfeigned  sadness.  The  obituary  notices 
which  appeared  in  the  public  journals  and  proceed- 
ings of  many  learned  bodies  demonstrated  the  fame 
of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  a  manner  which  will  surely  be 
exquisitely  agreeable  to  him  when  he  shall  read  the 
eulogiums,  as,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  he  may  soon  do.  Dr. 
Kirk,  of  Zanzibar,  who  had,  in  former  years,  accom- 
panied Dr.  Livingstone  in  some  of  his  explorations, 
gave  the  man  Moosa  a  long  and  careful  examination 
and  cross-examination,  and  the  longer  he  proceeded 
the  more  terrible  the  facts  connected  with  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone's death  appeared.  A  letter  from  him,  gen- 
erally published  and  quoted  by  all  journals,  seemed 
to  leave  the  painful  reports  fully  and  abundantly  con- 
firmed. The  world's  sorrow,  therefore,  expressed  in 
every  proper  way,  was,  to  all  appearance,  entirely 
reasonable. 

Nevertheless,  there  were  those  who  did  not  put 
their  trust  in  Moosa's  story.  Among  these  was  Sir 
Roderick  Murchison,  whose  reputation  for  sagacity 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 65 

in  England  was  very  high.  So  early  as  1844,  Sir 
Roderick  had  announced,  from  the  examination  of 
certain  rocks  brought  to  him  for  study,  the  existence 
of  gold  in  Australia,  and  had  vainly  endeavored  to 
enlist  the  aid  of  government  in  behalf  of  practically 
testing  the  question.  We  have  seen  that  he  cor- 
rectly decyphered  the  general  geological  formation 
of  central  South  Africa  before  the  practical  discovery 
of  the  fact  by  Livingstone.  By  these  and  other 
things  of  like  nature,  Sir  Roderick  had  acquired  the 
reputation  of  a  prophet.  He  could  give  no  special 
reason  for  his  opinion,  but  he  did  not  believe  Moo- 
sa's  story  of  Livingstone's  death,  and  the  fact  of  his 
want  of  faith  in  it  made  many  suppose  there  might 
be  ground  for  doubt  after  all.  Sir  Roderick  was  sus- 
tained in  his  doubts  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Young,  an  African 
traveler  of  considerable  experience  who  came  for- 
ward and  said  that  Ali  Moosa  belonged  to  a  treacher- 
ous race.  Suppose  he  had  betrayed  Dr.  Livingstone, 
how  else  than  by  a  cunningly-devised  story  of  his 
death  could  he  prevail  upon  the  British  consul  to  pay 
him.  Here,  at  least,  was  a  motive  for  the  story,  and 
it  soon  had  many  to  believe  in  it.  The  consequence 
was  a  variety  of  conflicting  reports  and  conflicting 
opinions,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  Royal  Geographi- 
cal Society  organized  a  search  expedition  and  placed 
it  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Young. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1867,  the  little  steel  boat 
"  Search,"  Mr.  Young  in  command,  was  pointed  up 
the  Zambesi  river,  under  the  most  explicit  and  com- 
prehensive instructions  from  the  Geographical  So- 
ciety.    At  Shupanga,  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Livingstone 


1 66  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

was  visited,  and  such  attention  given  it  as  was  re- 
quired. On  the  4th  of  September,  Mr.  Young  heard 
of  a  white  man  having  been  seen  on  Lake  Pama- 
lombi,  which  is  far  south  of  Lake  Nyassa,  the  scene 
of  the  reported  death.  Young  proceeded  thither 
and  became  convinced  that  the  white  man  was  Liv- 
ingstone. Continuing  the  search,  he  found  that  his 
views  were  from  day  to  day  confirmed  by  the  reports 
of  natives  and  articles  which  the  explorer  had  left 
with  them  subsequent  to  the  time  of  his  reported 
murder.  The  search  was  continued  till  toward  the 
close  of  the  year,  with  the  result  that  Dr.  Livingstone 
had  certainly  been  seen  at  a  long  distance  from  the 
Lake  Nyassa,  months  after  he  had  been  reported 
killed.  The  expedition  under  Mr.  Young  did  not 
find  Dr.  Livingstone,  but  discovered  enough  to  de- 
monstrate that  Ali  Moosa's  story  was  an  ably  and 
cunningly  devised  romance.  Then  the  Geographical 
Society  received  letters  from  Livingstone  himself, 
which  proved  that  he  was  alive  and  well  in  February, 
1867,  some  six  months  after  Moosa's  heroic  but  vain 
defense  near  Lake  Nyassa.  Authentic  reports  of  his 
presence  on  Lake  Ujiji  in  October  of  the  same  year 
were  received.  But  about  this  time  Sir  Roderick 
Murchison  published  a  letter  in  the  London  "  Times" 
newspaper,  confidently  predicting,  on  intelligence 
which  he  supposed  to  be  reliable,  Dr.  Livingstone's 
return  to  England  about  the  coming  Christmas.  It 
has  since  transpired  that  Sir  Roderick  was  imposed 
upon  by  a  round-about  story  from  Trincomalee  in  the 
island  of  Ceylon,  which  had  been  based  upon  an  en- 
tire misunderstanding  of  something   that  had  been 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 67 

said  by  Dr.  Kirk,  British  Consul  at  Zanzibar,  and  the 
report  of  which  was  first  transmitted  from  Trin- 
comalee. 

Dr.  Livingstone  did  not  appear  in  accordance  with 
his  friend's  prediction,  and  the  consequence  was  a 
new  variety  of  reports  of  misfortune  and  death. 
Conjecture  was  free ;  nothing  had  been  lately  heard 
from  him ;  the  suspense  of  the  public  in  regard  to 
the  fate  of  one  in  whom  there  was  so  deep  and  uni- 
versal interest  was  absolutely  painful.  And  it  was  at 
this  time  of  intense  public  anxiety  that  an  expedition 
was  set  on  foot,  the  like  of  which  had  not  previously 
been  known  and  the  complete  success  of  which  has 
bestowed  upon  its  projector  and  commander  im- 
perishable renown. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  HERALD  EXPEDITION  OF  SEARCH. 

The  Great  Development  of  Modern  Journalism — The  Telegraph — James  Gor- 
don Bennett,  Horace  Greeley,  Henry  J.  Raymond — The  Magnitude  of 
American  Journalistic  Enterprise — The  Herald  Special  Search  Expedition 
for  Dr.  Livingstone — Stanley  as  a  Correspondent — The  Expedition  on  its 
Way  Toward  Livingstone. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  among  the 
many  important  events  which  had  occurred  in  Christen- 
dom during  Dr.  Livingstone's  first  great  series  of  ex- 
plorations in  Africa  there  were  none  of  greater  im- 
portance to  mankind  than  the  invention  of  the  mag- 
netic telegraph,  and  the  prodigious  development, 
consequent  thereon — at  least  in  great  part — of  the 
newspaper  press.  There  is  not  so  much  difference  in 
means  of  travel,  between  the  great,  lumbering  wagon 
of  Cape  Colony,  drawn  by  a  number  of  oxen  which  get 
over  a  few  miles  in  a  whole  day  and  the  means  of  travel 
by  the  best  of  America's  great  railways,  as  there  is  be- 
tween the  means  of  current  daily  intelligence  in  1872 
and  the  means  of  that  current  daily  intelligence  as 
they  existed  when  Dr.  Livingstone  first  placed  foot  in 
Africa.  If  a  daily  journal  of  the  manner  and  style  of 
one  of  that  time  were  to  be  now  established,  it  would 
be  looked  upon  like  a  curious  relic  of  the  past  or  an 
old  almanac. 

Nor  is  it  strictly  just  to  attribute  the  wonderful 

i$8 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 69 

development  of  public  journalism  since  about  the 
year  1840  wholly  to  the  success  of  Prof.  Morse's 
invention  of  the  magnetic  telegraph.  His  success 
was  largely  due  to  the  press,  which  at  the  time  he 
sought  aid  of  Congress  in  behalf  of  his  discovery  had 
already  begun  to  be  something  more  and  something 
better  than  the  mere  organ  of  power  or  of  party.  At 
any  rate  it  may  with  perfect  safety  be  said  that  the 
practical  success  of  Prof.  Morse's  invention  was  con- 
siderably hastened  by  the  influence  of  a  public  press 
into  which  had  recently  been  infused  an  independent 
spirit  and  a  consequent  influence  before  unknown. 
Up  to  about  the  time  of  which  we  speak  the  most 
widely  circulated  journals  of  the  United  States  had 
been  printed  at  the  National  Capital,  a  city  which 
had  never  been  representative  of  the  country's  trade, 
its  literature,  science,  art,-or  labor.  It  was  only  the 
seat  of  government,  the  centre  of  the  political  power 
of  a  nation  which  claimed  to  lodge  its  political  power 
in  the  people.  Here  flourished  a  number  of  journal- 
ists of  the  old  school,  whose  skill  in  political  manipu- 
lation, money  making,  and  editorials  without  begin- 
ning and  without  end,  can  never  be  surpassed.  There 
is  at  this  time  more  intelligence  of  the  current  events 
of  the  day  in  the  poorest  daily  journals  of  the  "  far 
West"  than  there  used  to  be  in  the  "  national  organs" 
of  the  respective  political  parties  contending  for  the 
control  of  our  national  polity.  That  neither  one  nor 
the  other  could  have  justly  claimed  any  great  amount 
of  practical  wisdom  may  be  asserted  with  confidence 
since  the  result  of  the  rule  of  both — now  one  and 
now  the  other — for  a  long  period  of  years  was  a  civil 


170  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA 

war  of  long  duration  and  exhaustive  effects,  growing 
out  of  a  question  which  both  the  great  parties  of  the 
times  had  "finally"  settled  by  act  of  Congress  and 
solemn  resolution  on  more  than  one  memorable  oc- 
casion. 

It  was  while  this  not  very  admirable  fooling  was 
about  at  its  height,  that  certain  knights  of  the  quill, 
no  less  adventurous  in  their  enterprises  than  Dr. 
Livingstone  was  in  his  explorations  through  the 
wilds  of  Africa,  established  themselves  in  the  com- 
mercial metropolis  of  America,  and  soon  became  the 
head  of  a  power  in  the  land  scarcely  second  to  that 
of  the  government.  If  not  a  new  estate  in  govern- 
ment, this  power  became  a  new  estate  in  society. 
There  sprang  up  an  entirely  new  literature ;  a  liter- 
ature which,  as  regularly  as  the  sun,  appeared  every 
morning,  and  soon  came  to  be,  to  all  well  informed 
persons,  about  as  necessary  as  the  sun  is  to  the  physi- 
cal world.  There  was  no  subject  too  abstruse,  none 
too  sacred,  none  too  high,  and  few  too  low  for  the  es- 
says of  the  brilliant,  daring,  dashing  minds  which 
about  this  time  threw  themselves  into  the  arena  of 
journalism.  Not  a  few  who  had  been  distinguished 
in  the  literature  of  former  days  became  journalists, 
and  the  most  celebrated  of  American  novelists,  the 
illustrious  author  of  the  "  Leatherstocking  Tales," 
finding  himself  too  "  slow"  for  the  times,  became  in- 
curably disgusted  with  men  who  cared  little  for  vener- 
able antiquity,  and  spoke  of  thrones  and  principali- 
ties, and  powers,  not  to  mention  the  writers  of  books, 
with  all  the  sarcasm,  wit,  and  irreverence  of  Junius 
and  with  infinitely  more  popular  power.     Here  was, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  171 

as  we  have  said,  a  new  literature.  What  difference 
was  it  that  the  individual  essays  were  only  for  a  day  ? 
Every  day  there  were  essays  equally  good,  and  they 
treated  of  political  topics  more  fully  and  candidly 
than  political  topics  had  ever  been  discussed  before 
by  public  journals,  and  they  also  treated  of  almost 
everything  else  under  the  sun.  Every  advance  in 
science,  every  attempt  at  social  or  political  reform, 
every  humanitarian  endeavor,  every  attack  upon 
abuse  and  crime  claimed  to  be  hallowed  by  the  lapse 
of  time,  every  current  event  of  importance  of  every 
kind,  whether  of  fact  or  of  idea,  here  in  this  wonder- 
ful kaleidescope  could  be  seen,  and  then  seen  to  give 
way  to  new  spectacles  of  equal  interest.  Here  the 
people  were  educated.  There  never  has  been  dis- 
covered a  means  of  education  so  powerful  and  so 
universal.  It  is,  doubtless,  owing  to  the  fact  that  so 
many  minds  in  America  capable  of  creating  a  "  per- 
manent literature"  devoted  themselves  to  this  poten- 
tial means  of  influence,  thereby  losing  their  individu- 
ality but  for  the  time  being  augmenting  their  power, 
that  we  have  not  yet  produced  an  American  Thack- 
eray or  even  an  American  Dickens.  In  the  formative 
era  of  what  may  well  be  called  journalism  proper,  a 
very  large  proportion  of  existing  genius  has  been 
called  into  such  active  use,  in  America,  that  it  has 
not  had  leisure  for  books.  And  even  in  England, 
many  of  the  most  distinguished  thinkers  have  served 
their  regular  terms  as  journalists. 

Among  the  most  celebrated  of  modern  journalists 
was  James  Gordon  Bennett,  the  founder  of  the  New 
York  "  Herald"  newspaper.      A   native  of  Scotland 


I72  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

and  a  Roman  Catholic  in  religion,  he  was  educated 
for  the  priesthood,  but  whether,  like  John  Randolph 
of  Roanoke,  he  perceived  that  he  had  "too  much 
spice  of  'old  Nick'"  in  his  composition  for  the  sacred 
calling,  or  on  other  account,  he  did  not  take  orders, 
but  emigrated  to  America  instead.  After  various 
fortune — generally  misfortune — embracing  teaching, 
translating,  and  associate-editorship,  he  embarked 
upon  the  "  Herald"  enterprise  in  1835.  It  was  not 
until  some  years  afterwards,  however,  that  this  jour- 
nal acquired  any  considerable  reputation  outside  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  inaugurated  those  news  en- 
terprises which  made  it  so  celebrated  and  a  not  .un- 
faithful chronicler  of  the  passing  events  of  the  whole 
world.  During  the  era  of  "  special  correspondence" 
the  "  Herald"  maintained  an  extensive  corps  of  writ- 
ers in  Europe  and  other  foreign  countries,  who  ever 
gave  to  the  paper  great  interest  and  value. 

Meantime,  other  young  men,  since  distinguished, 
had  been  educating  themselves  as  journalists,  and, 
like  Bennett,  through  various  fortune.  Among  them 
was  Horace  Greeley,  who  established  the  first  penny 
daily  paper  ever  published  in  the  world,  but  its  foun- 
dations soon  gave  way.  In  1841  the  "  Tribune"  was 
established,  and  Mr.  Bennett  discovered  in  the  great 
and  varied  abilities  of  Mr.  Greeley  and  Henry  J. 
Raymond,  assistant  editor,  rivals  whom  no  assaults 
could  repress,  and  whose  influence  soon  began  to  be 
felt  and  acknowledged  throughout  the  country.  The 
warfare  long  waged  between  these  journalistic  giants 
was  always  sharp,  often  fierce.  The  intense  rivalry 
greatly  augmented    the    enterprise    of  the   printing 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 73 

offices  which  at  length  became  vast  establishments, 
employing  thousands  of  men,  from  the  greatest  intel- 
lects of  the  age  to  the  ragged  urchins  on  the  street, 
and  receiving  and  disbursing  vast  sums  of  money. 

The  invention  of  the  telegraph  added  immensely 
to  the  scope  and  power  of  the  daily  press.  Greatly 
increasing  its  expenditures,  it  also  greatly  augmented 
its  circulation  and  profits.  Its  demand  for  brain-la- 
bor became  perfectly  prodigious,  and  it  almost  mo- 
nopolized the  genius  of  the  land.  In  the  city  of  New 
York  there  were  established  within  a  very  few  years 
after  Morse's  invention  had  begun  regularly  to  click 
the  news  of  the  day  no  less  than  four  morning  jour- 
nals of  acknowledged  reputation  throughout  the 
world,  and  which  upon  certain  memorable  occasions 
of  current  intelligence  have  contained  in  their  com- 
bined columns  nearly  as  great  an  amount  of  reading 
matter  as  the  whole  of  Bancroft's  history  of  the  United 
States*  The  average  quantity  of  these  journals' 
reading  matter,  of  interest  to  the  general  public,  is 
equivalent,  every  day,  to  from  three  to  five  volumes 
of  Bancroft's  distinguished  work. 

Other  cities  of  the  republic  have  been  little  if  any 
behind  the  commercial  and  financial  metropolis,  ex- 
cepting only  the  city  of  Washington  whose  most  suc- 
cessful journalism  of  the  old  school  has  given  way  at 
least  till  quite  recently,  to  be  a  series  of  wretched 
failures. 

♦As  I  write  this,  I  take  a  copy  of  the  Chicago  "  Tribune"  of  the  day,  and 
find,  by  actual  calculation,  that  it  contains  reading  matter,  exclusive  of  adver- 
tisements, equivalent  to  more  than  350  pages  of  Bancroit.  Among  this  mat- 
ter is  a  profoundly  thoughtful  speech  by  Horace  Greeley,  delivered  hundreds  of 
miles  distant  the  night  before.  At  this  writing,  he  is  a  candidate  for  the  chief 
office  in  the  American  republic. 


174 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


Editorials  of  a  journal  published  in  the  largest  city 
of  our  Lake  country,  which  was  a  straggling  hamlet 
when  Dr.  Livingstone  first  went  to  Africa,  have  been 
known  to  make  the  proudest  speculators  of  Wall 
street  tremble,  and  powerful  corporations  to  abandon 
long-conceived  schemes  of  injustice.  In  an  exhaust- 
ive article  on  the  United  States  census  of  i860,  the 
New  York  "  Tribune"  said  of  the  public  press  : 

"  The  very  great  increase  in  the  circulation  of 
newspapers  and  periodicals  during  the  last  ten  years 
is  an  evidence  at  once  of  a  high*  degree  of  popular 
intelligence  and  of  a  high  standard  of  journalistic 
ability.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  country  has  the 
best,  and  the  best  sustained  public  press  in  the  world 
— the  best,  we  mean,  for  the  people  and  not  merely 
the  learned  few.  Newspapers  penetrate  to  every  part 
of  the  country,  reach  even  the  most  obscure  hamlet, 
and  find  their  way  to  almost  every  household.  Print- 
ing offices  go  with  the  vanguard  of  civilization  to- 
ward the  west,  and  in  the  '  new  country'  are  about  as 
numerous  as  the  mills.  The  dailies  of  the  great  cit- 
ies cannot  be  carried  by  the  government  mails  ;  they 
have  created,  during  the  decade,  an  entirely  new  line 
of  business,  supporting  thousands  of  families;  on 
issues  fairly  joined  they  have  defeated  many  of  the 
most  maturely  considered  measures  of  Congressional 
Committees." 

Having  given  the  statistics  in  regard  to  the  num- 
ber and  circulation  of  the  periodicals  and  papers  of 
the  country  at  the  time  under  examination,  the  arti- 
cle goes  on  to  say : 

"The  total  number  of  daily  papers  thrown  from  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 75 

press  during  the  year  is  about  half  that  of  all  the 
other  papers  and  periodicals  combined.  Supposing 
each  one  to  weigh  an  ounce,  the  weight  of  the  whole 
number  of  daily  papers  printed  in  the  United  States 
during  the  year  of  the  census  was  28,644,678  pounds 
avoirdupois — enough  to  load  14,322  wagons  with  a  ton 
each,  or  to  make  a  train  of  them  seventy  miles  in 
length.  Were  all  the  papers  and  periodicals  printed 
in  i860  placed  in  such  a  train,  it  would  reach  from 
New  York  to  Richmond.  Should  they  be  pasted  into 
one  vast  sheet,  they  would  make  a  covering  for  the 
continent,  and  leave  a  remnant  large  enough  to  shut 
out  the  sun  from  the  British  Islands. 

"  But,  not  to  dwell  upon  the  mere  material  aspect 
of  the  Public  Press  of  America,  it  will  suffice  to  say 
that  if  its  records  shall  be  preserved  the  historian 
of  two  thousand  years  hence  who  shall  narrate  the 
events  which  are  now  taking  place,  will  find  upon 
their  dingy  pages  his  best  authorities  and  his  most 
trustworthy  sources  of  philosophical  generalization. 
Not  all  that  is  left  of  Grecian  literature,  not  all  the 
grand  works  of  the  fine  old  Romans,  give  so  correct" 
a  picture  of  the  great  peoples  of  antiquity  as  the 
daily  papers  of  America  are  now  taking  of  a  people 
far  greater  than  that  whose  phalanges  swept  down  the 
barbarians  from  the  Hellespont  to  the  Indus,  or  than 
that '  the  tramp  of  whose  legions  echoed  round  the 
world.'" 

To  such  magnificent  proportions  and  such  stupen- 
dous influence  had  the  American  press  grown  during 
Livingstone's  first  sojourn  in  Africa.  When  he  left 
England,  its  chief  business  was  to  chronicle  small 


176  EXPLORATIONS    IN  ,AFRICA. 

been  When  he  returned  its  power  was  more  than 
imperial,  and  all  exercised  through  persuasion.  As  it 
had  grown  in  America,  so  it  had  been  immensely  de- 
veloped in  other  lands,  but  in  respect  of  the  publi- 
cation of  current  intelligence  at  the  time  of  the  hap- 
pening of  events,  the  American  press  is  not  ap- 
proached by  that  of  any  other  country.  There  is 
more  telegraphic  news  in  almost  any  number  of  any 
Chicago  daily,  for  example,  than  the  average  quan- 
tity of  such  intelligence  in  the  London  "  Times." 

An  additional  impetus  to  the  enterprise  of  journal- 
ism was  given  by  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  cable 
during  Dr.  Livingstone's  second  great  expedition  to 
Africa.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  these  great  facts 
though  they  have  occurred  before  our  very  eyes. 
This  wonderful  achievement  of  science,  aided  by  the 
no  less  wonderful  enterprise  of  the  daily  press  of  the 
United  States,  made  the  inhabitants  of  Christendom 
like  next-door  neighbors.  A  dispatch  from  Athens, 
in  Greece,  was  once  published  by  all  the  evening  daily 
journals  of  the  United  States  at  an  earlier  hour  than 
its  date.  The  difference  of  time  and  the  "  girdle 
round  about  the  earth"  put  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  as  they  took  their  suppers,  in  a 
situation  in  which  they  might  have  criticised  an  or- 
ation by  Demosthenes  before  he  had  gone  to  bed,  had 
Demosthenes  belonged  to  this  day  and  generation. 

Thus  had  the  press  become  the  great  means  of  the 
dissemination  of  knowledge,  and  by  reason  of  the 
wonderful  enterprise  of  its  most  distinguished  repre- 
sentative men,  far  more  potential  in  the  affairs  of  the 
world  than  any  potentate  or  any  government.    It  had 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  I  79 

come  to  be  acknowledged  as  of  the  greatest  conse- 
quence in  the  dissemination  of  science,  in  popular- 
izing literature,  in  aiding  moral,  social,  and  political 
reform.  But  the  irrepressibility  of  its  enterprising 
spirit,  its  superiority  even  to  the  most  powerful  gov- 
ernment in  respect  of  obtaining  intelligence  remained 
to  be  conclusively  shown.  And  even  this  was  done  by 
the  expedition  of  Mr.  Henry  M.  Stanley,  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  New  York  "  Herald,"  in  search  of  Dr. 
Livingstone,  long  lost  from  Christendom  in  the  wilds 
of  central  Africa. 

So  deep  an  interest  did  the  government  of  Great 
Britain  take  in  discovering  the  truth  of  the  reports 
of  the  explorer's  death,  first  given  to  the  world 
through  the  story  of  Ali  Moosa,  as  condensed  by  Dr. 
Seward,  English  Resident  Agent  at  Zanzibar — the 
substance  of  which  appears  in  the  preceeding  chap- 
ter— that  an  expedition  in  that  behalf  was  organized, 
and  after  many  hundred  miles  of  journeyings  by  river 
and  land  found  unmistakable  evidences  that  Moosa's 
story  was  a  cruel  fabrication.  So,  too,  when  years 
had  elapsed  without  definite  information  from  Dr. 
Livingstone,  and  there  arose  a  world  of  wild  conject- 
ure as  to  his  fate,  the  British  government  again  or- 
ganized an  expedition  of  search,  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  at  last  accounts  from  it  at  Zanzibar,  well 
prepared  for  an  expedition  inland  but  waiting  for  a 
proper  season  at  which  to  begin  the  journey. 

Meantime  the  great  discoverer  is  discovered  in  the 

heart  of  equatorial  Africa  by  Mr.  Henry  M.  Stanley, 

in  command  of  an  expedition  of  search  sent  out  under 

the  auspices  of  an   American   newspaper,  the  New 

11 


l8o  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

York  "  Herald."  Thus  did  newspaper  enterprise  ac- 
complish that  in  which  the  combined  efforts  of 
wealthy  religious  societies,  learned  corporate  bodies, 
and  one  of  the  most  powerful  governments  of  earth 
had  failed.  A  brief  account  of  this  unique  expedition 
will  be  of  interest : 

During  the  civil  war  in  the  United  States — 1861- 
65 — among  the  many  "war  correspondents"  of  the 
"  Herald"  was  Mr.  Stanley,  just  Mentioned.  He  was 
not  so  much  distinguished  as  a  writer  as  he  was  val- 
uable to  the  journal  on  account  of  his  fearless  nature 
and  his  restless  activity.  In  imitation  of  Tennyson's 
charge  of  the  Light  Brigade,  he  would  pursue  an 
item  if  the  search  should  carry  him  "  into  the  jaws  of 
hell."  Restrained  by  no  danger,  almost  insensible  to 
fatigue,  he  could  ride  all  day  and  write  all  night 
almost,  and  keep  up  this  hard  work  for  an  indefinite 
period.  After  the  war  he  went  abroad  and  from  va- 
rious countries,  generally  out  of  the  way  of  ordinary 
lines  of  travel,  corresponded  with  the  "  Herald.' 
When  the  proprietors  of  that  journal — the  elder  Mr. 
Bennett  was  then  living — determined  to  organize  a 
"  Herald  Special  Search  Expedition,"  they  naturally 
selected  Mr.  Stanley  as  its  commander.  This  was  in 
1868.  Mr.  Stanley  at  once  accepted  the  charge,  and, 
after  some  hesitation  as  to  whether  he  should  pro- 
ceed through  Egypt  up  the  Nile,  or  by  way  of  Zanzi- 
bar and  then  westward  overland,  or  by  the  line  of  the 
river  Rovuma,  the  route  taken  by  Livingstone,  he  at 
length  resolved  to  go  by  way  of  Zanzibar.  This  is 
an  island,  and  town  also  of  the  same  name,  off  the 
coast  of  Zanguebar,  and  is  toward  the  southern  limit  of 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  l8l 

Mohammedan  rule  in  Africa.  Here  Mr.  Stanley  ar- 
rived in  due  season,  and  hence  wrote  his  first  letter 
in  this  special  service,  under  date  of  February  9,  1869. 
It  chiefly  had  reference  to  Livingstone's  previous  ex- 
plorations, the  story  of  his  death,  and  its  refutation. 
But  the  report  that  he  was  only  about  a  week's  march 
inland  from  Zanzibar  also  received  a  quietus,  and 
Mr.  Stanley  was  well  nigh  persuaded  to  retrace  his 
steps  to  Egypt  and  proceed  by  way  of  the  Nile,  in 
consequence  of  the  following  note  from  the  United 
States  Vice  Consul : 

"Island  of  Zanzibar,  Dec.  26,  1868. 
"  Dear  Sir — I  should  be  most  happy  to  assist  you 
in  any  way  whatever ;  but,  in  reply  to  your  note,  I 
beg  to  assure  you  of  my  candid  belief  of  his  non- 
appearance. There  is  not  the  slightest  probability 
of  his  ever  coming  again  to  this  island.  Dr.  Kirk 
the  British  Vice  Consul  here,  and  who  was  with  Dr. 
Livingstone  for  some  years  during  his  travels  in 
Africa,  thinks  it  more  than  probable  that  he  will 
come  out  at  the  Nile,  and  has  not  the  least  expecta- 
tion of  having  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  here.  In 
September,  1868,  Her  Majesty's  ship  Octavia,  Sir 
Leopold  Heath,  C.  B.,  left  here,  and  as  I  see  by  the 
Bombay  papers,  on  her  arrival  at  Trincomalee,  which 
is  in  Ceylon,  reported  that  when  she  left  Zanzibar 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  reported  within  a  week's  march 
of  the  coast.  This,  if  you  saw  it,  probably  misled 
you  also  to  believe  he  would  come  here,  but  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  statement  was  with- 
out the  slightest  foundation  of  truth,  and  was  prob- 


1 82  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ably  written  from  some  entire  misconception  by  the 
writer  of  some  conversation  which  took  place  be- 
tween him  and  Dr.  Kirk.  Trusting,  however,  you 
will  succeed  on  the  other  side,  I  am,  dear  sir,  very  re- 
spectfully, 

"  Francis  R.  Webb, 
"  United  States  Vice  Consul.'' 

Nevertheless,  Mr.  Stanley  determined  to  go  on 
and  telegraphing  to  an  acquaintance  residing  at 
Khartoum,  Upper  Nubia,  to  send  him  word,  if  any- 
thing should  be  heard  from  Livingstone,  went  forward 
with  the  preparations  for  his  journey.  He  was  doubt- 
less cognizant  of  the  fact  also,  that  the  "  Herald"  had 
another  Search  expedition  on  foot  to  which  the  Khe- 
dive of  Egypt  was  rendering  generous  encourage- 
ment and  assistance.  It  may  well  be  imagined  that 
the  drafts  upon  the  "  Herald"  at  this  time  for  neces- 
sary outlays  in  the  purchase  of  horses,  asses,  and  sup- 
plies and  the  employment  of  a  sufficient  escort — 
mainly  consisting  of  a  number  of  Arabs — were  not 
light.  The  preparations,  after  months'  delay,  caused 
by  war  in  the  interior,  were  at  length  made,  and 
the  expedition  left  Zanzibar  on  the  long-ago  trail  of 
the  great  explorer. 

And  here  it  will  be  proper,  while  we  are  awaiting 
intelligence  of  its  difficulties  and  final  great  success, 
to  speak  of  the  previous  life  of  him  who  was  to  make 
so  many  hearts  glad  by  tidings  of  the  safety  of  the 
most  distinguished  explorer  of  our  times. 


CHAPTER  X. 


HENRY   M.  STANLEY. 


Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Mr.  Stanley  Before  Beginning  the  Search  for  Livingstone 
— His  Enthusiasm,  Courage,  and  Endurance — Travels  in  Asia — Statement  by 
the  Hon.  E.  Joy  Morris,  Ex-United  States  Minister  to  Constantinople— Be- 
gins the  Great  Enterprise  of  His  Life. 

Henry  M.  Stanley,  the  leader  of  the  "  Herald" 
expedition  of  search,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri where  he  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth.  The 
system  of  popular  education  in  Missouri  was  never 
successfully  put  in  operation  during  the  existence  of 
slavery  in  that  commonwealth.  Like  most  of  the  boys 
of  the  State,  Stanley  grew  up,  having  many  more 
physical  than  intellectual  exercises.  He  developed 
and  strengthened  sinew  and  muscle,  however,  and  be- 
came accustomed  to  danger,  and  was  therefore,  all 
unconsciously  to  himself,  being  educated  for  the  great 
work  of  his  life.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  leaving  him  a  small  estate,  but 
without  a  calling  or  profession  by  means  of  which  to 
obtain  a  livelihood.  This  was  during  the  late  Amer- 
ican civil  war.  Though  the  income  from  his  patri- 
mony would  have  gone  a  good  way  toward  his  sup- 
port, he  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  earn  his  subsist- 
ence by  his  own  exertions,  herein  manifesting  a  spirit 
of  independence  which  is  a  quite  general  characteristic 
of  Western  people.     He  had  already  shown  a  literary 

183 


1 84  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ambition,  and  some  of  his  verses  had  appeared  in 
rural  journals,  and,  though  regretting  the  want  of  a 
regular  course  of  mental  training,  he  resolved  that  he 
would  become  a  writer  for  the  press.  Looking  about 
for  a  field  in  which  he  might  distinguish  himself  he 
sought  employment  as  a  "  war  correspondent"  of  the 
New  York  "  Herald."  "  His  chief  recommendation 
at  this  time,"  says  a  great  journal,  "  was  his  energy 
and  industry  and  fearlessness  in  collecting  facts,  not 
the  style  in  which  he  told  them ;  for  although  he  had 
previously  shown  some  indications  of  literary  ability, 
his  pen  was  as  yet  neither  practiced  nor  fluent."  His 
energy,  industry,  and  fearlessness  were  doubtless 
better  appreciated  in  the  "  Herald"  office  than  by  the 
general  public,  but  his  reputation  as  a  writer  grew 
with  time,  and  he  constantly  performed  his  corres- 
pondential  duties  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  exper- 
ienced employers. 

Of  an  adventurous  nature,  he  took  a  warm  interest 
in  the  attempt  of  the  Cretans,  in  1866,  to  throw  off 
the  Turkish  yoke  and  establish  their  independence. 
With  the  object  of  joining  the  Cretan  army  he  sailed 
for  Europe,  first  making  arrangements  for  corres- 
pondence with  the  "Herald."  He  was  not  pleased 
with  the  leaders  of  the  revolution,  and  declined  to 
volunteer  in  the  army  of  the  famous  little  island. 

It  appears  that  he  had  a  sort  of  roving  commis- 
sion from  the  "  Herald,"  and  now  undertook  a  jour- 
ney on  foot  with  a  few  travelling  companions  of  his 
own  country,  by  which  it  was  contemplated  to  pass 
through  Asia  Minor,  the  provinces  of  Russian  Asia, 
the    Khanates,   Bokhara,  and   Kiva,    Eastern  Turk- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 85 

estan,  and  so  through  China  to  the  coast.  This  pro- 
ject came,  however,  to  a  disastrous  end.  The  little 
party  had  not  penetrated  more  than  about  an  hun- 
dred miles  from  Smyrna,  when  it  was  attacked  by 
Turkish  brigands,  completely  plundered,  and  com- 
pelled, in  consequence,  to  return.  Arriving  at  Con- 
stantinople in  the  most  sorry  plight,  the  members  of 
the  party  were  kindly  received  by  the  Hon.  E.  Joy 
Morris,  then  United  States  Minister  to  the  Turkish 
Sultan,  and  their  wants  supplied  by  a  check  upon  the 
generous  Minister's  private  banker.  An  account  of 
the  affair,  written  by  Mr.  Stanley,  had  appeared  in  a 
public  journal  of  the  country,  so  that  Mr.  Morris  had 
been  apprised  of  the  facts — afterwards  fully  sub- 
stantiated in  a  court  of  justice — before  the  travellers 
appeared,  in  shabby  attire  attesting  a  needy  situ- 
ation. 

Inasmuch  as  one  of  Mr.  Stanley's  companions — 
Noe  by  name — afterwards  brought  a  charge  of  cruel 
treatment  against  the  "  Herald" 'representative  dur- 
ing this  journey  so  disastrously  terminated,  it  will 
be  well  here  to  give  a  statement  made  by  Mr.  Mor- 
ris. It  is  all  the  more  in  place  here,  because  it  re- 
lates certain  facts  in  Mr.  Stanley's  life,  and  deline- 
ates certain  prominent  points  of  his  character  so 
faithfully  that  it  may  be  regarded  as  almost  strictly 
biographical.  After  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Noes 
charge  against  Stanley,  the  "  Herald"  sent  a  reporter 
to  Atlantic  City,  New  Jersey,  where  Mr.  Morris  was 
temporarily  residing,  instructed  to  get  such  infor- 
mation from  him  as  he  might  feel  disposed  to  com- 
municate.   An  account  of  the  interview  was  published 


1 86  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

in  the  "  Herald"  of  September  7th,  1872.  The  sub- 
stantial portions  follow : 

"  Mr.  Morris — I  first  met  Mr.  Stanley,  or  at  least 
heard  of  him,  in  October,  1866.  I  was  then  at  my 
country  residence  in  Bujukdere,  on  the  Bosphorus, 
and  while  there  I  received  intelligence  from  Con- 
stantinople stating  that  three  American  travellers, 
named  Stanley,  Noe,  and  Cook,  had  been  barbar- 
ously and  cruelly  treated  and  robbed  of  all  their  ef- 
fects by  a  band  of  Turks  in  Asia  Minor.  In  the  ad- 
vance of  the  arrival  of  the  travellers  at  the  Turkish 
capital,  Stanley  sent  an  account  of  the  occurrence  to 
the  "  Levant  Herald,"  a  paper  published  in  English, 
in  which  the  particulars  of  the  attack  were  all  fully 
narrated.  I  lost  no  time  in  taking  the  necessary 
steps,  when  the  tidings  reached  me,  for  the  protection 
and  relief  of  my  countrymen  when  they  should  ar- 
rive. Meantime  the  Turks,  who  were  the  perpe- 
trators of  the  outrage,  had  been  captured  and  con- 
veyed, strongly  guarded,  to  Broussa,  a  small  town 
near  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 

"Reporter — Did  you  see  the  Americans  on  their 
arrival  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris — I  did  :  the  American  Consul  Gen- 
eral and  myself  were  both  waiting  to  receive  them 
when  they  arrived,  and  of  course  they  immediately 
repaired  to  the  Embassy  when  they  got  into  the 
city. 

"Reporter — What  appearance  did  they  present? 

"  Mr.  Morris — A  most  miserable  appearance,  sir. 
If  ever  the  condition  of  men  presented  the  traces  of 
cruel  treatment  theirs  did.     Mr.  Stanley's  own  plight 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 87 

fully  corroborated  his  story.  He  had  been  stripped 
of  all  his  clothing,  and  though  he  had  been  enabled 
to  procure  some  outside  covering  by  the  generosity 
of  Mr.  L.  E.  Pelesa,  agent  of  the  Ottoman  Bank  at 
Aflund-Karahissar,  he  had  neither  shirt  nor  stock- 
ings on  when  he  came  to  me,  and  he  showed  other 
evidences  of  great  suffering.  I  relieved  his  more 
pressing  necessities  and  advanced  him  a  loan  of 
money  to  procure  an  outfit  for  himself  and  his  com- 
panions. I  considered  it  to  be  my  duty  to  do  this, 
both  as  American  Minister  and  as  an  American  who 
was  bound  by  the  tie  of  nationality  to  stand  by  my 
countrymen  in  distress.  I  gave  Mr.  Stanley  a  check 
on  my  banker  and  he  drew  the  money — ^150.  The 
first  thing  he  did  was  to  repay  the  agent  of  the  Ot- 
toman Bank  the  amount  advanced  by  him,  and  then 
he  took  his  companions  to  a  clothing  bazaar,  and 
both  he  and  they  procured  the  clothing  of  which  they 
were  so  much  in  need. 

"Reporter — What  security  had  you  for  your  loan  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris — I  had  no  security,  nor  did  I  ask  any. 
The  money  was  advanced  without  condition  of  any 
kind.  I  see  it  has  been  stated  by  Noe  that  the 
amount  was  given  in  consequence  of  a  draft  which 
Stanley  offered,  payable  by  a  person  in  New  York. 
This  is  false ;  no  draft  was  given  to  me  at  that  time, 
nor  was  any  promise  of  a  repayment  made  until 
subsequently.  I  advanced  the  money  as  a  loan, 
asked  for  no  security,  nor  was  there  any  offered. 
Some  time  after  Mr.  Stanley  inconsiderately  did  give 
me  a  drafts  but  I  looked  upon  this  as  altogether  super- 
flous,  and   did    not   attach    much  value  to  the   act, 


1 88  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

though  it  may  have  been  well  meant.  The  draft 
proved  valueless,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  enter  into 
details  of  a  transaction  which  has  been  long  satis- 
factorily settled  between  Mr.  Stanley  and  myself,  and 
which  does  not,  as  I  said  before,  concern  any  persons 
outside  ourselves.  I  may  state,  however,  that  the 
action  of  Mr.  Stanley  was  superfluous  in  another  way, 
as  Mr.  Cook,  Stanley's  fellow  traveller,  came  to  me 
after  the  money  had  been  sent  and  assumed  all  re- 
sponsibility connected  with  the  loan,  stating  that  if 
the  money  was  not  recovered  from  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment he  would  personally  indemnify  me,  giving 
me  his  American  address. 

"Reporter — What  impression  did  you  form  about 
Mr.  Stanley  at  the  time? 

"  Mr,  Morris — I  regarded  him  as  a  young  man  of 
great  courage  and  determination;  his  countenance 
showed  this,  it  being  stern,  almost  to  severity  but 
with  nothing  sinister  about  it. 

"Reporter — Did  Noe,  at  any  time  during  the  stay 
bring  any  charges  of  cruelty  against  Stanley? 

"  Mr.  Morris — None  that  I  recollect  of,  though 
he  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so.  As  stated  before 
the  Turkish  outlaws  were  taken  to  Broussa,  and  after 
some  time  had  elapsed  they  were  placed  upon  trial. 
As  there  was  no  American  Consul  at  the  place,  I 
obtained  from  Lord  Lyons  a  promise  that  the  British 
Consul,  Mr.  Sandison,  should  watch  the  trial  and  at- 
tend to  the  interests  of  my  clients,  Stanley,  Cook,  and 
Noe,  who  were  all  present  as  witnesses  at  Broussa. 
The  Turks  were  placed  upon  trial  and  attempted  to 
defend  themselves,  but  the  evidence  against  them  was 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 89 

overpowering.  Some  of  the  effects  of  Stanley  and 
his  party  were  found  upon  their  persons,  including 
$300  which  the  party  carried,  and  they  were  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  various  terms  of  imprisonment. 

"  Reporter — Did  Noe  swear  to  all  the  facts  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris — He  did  ;  and  his  sworn  statement 
will,  if  I  mistake  not,  be  found  in  the  archives  of  the 
State  Department.  I  never  was  more  astonished  in 
my  life  than  I  was  when  I  heard  that  he  now  states 
that  everything  he  related  at  Broussa  while  under 
oath,  was  entirely  false. 

"Reporter — What  steps  did  you  institute  to  obtain 
restitution  from  the  Turkish  government. 

"  Mr.  Morris — I  had  Stanley  and  the  others  draw 
up  an  inventory  of  the  effects  which  had  been  lost 
and  they  attested  to  the  losses  upon  oath  as  being  in 
every  instance  correct.  I  then  forwarded  the  claim 
to  the  Turkish  Minister,  including  the  money  ad- 
vanced by  myself,  which  of  course  was  included 
among  the  losses.  The  entire  amount,  as  near  as  I 
can  recollect,  was  about  twelve  hundred  dollars,  and 
the  claim  was  prosecuted  on  our  part  with  the  great- 
est vigor  and  pertinacity. 

"Reporter — Did  Stanley  and  his  friends  remain  in 
Constantinople  after  the  trial  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris— Not  long.  Stanley  and  Noe  left  for 
England,  and  Cook  remained  some  time  behind  set- 
tling  affairs.  Before  separating  an  agreement  was 
entered  into  between  them  and  me  that  if  I  recov- 
ered any  money  it  was  to  be  sent  to  Cook,  as,  I  be- 
lieve, it  was  he  that  bore  the  expenses  of  the  journey 
to  Smyrna.     Soon  after  Cook  left.     I  urged  the  claim 


I9O  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

time  after  time  upon  the  Turkish  government,  but 
did  not  meet  with  much  success,  and  at  length  I  was 
about  to  abandon  the  prosecution  of  the  claim  in  de- 
spair, when  the  Turkish  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
Saferet  Pacha,  called  upon  me  at  my  residence  and 
offered  to  compromise  the  case  by  giving  a  smaller 
amount.  I  had  some  conversation  with  the  Grand 
Vizier,  Ali  Pacha,  about  the  same  time  and  I  accepted 
the  proposition  in  the  amicable  spirit  in  which  it  was 
offered.  The  money  was  paid,  and  I  first  took  out  of 
it  the  ^150  which  I  had  lent.  The  balance  of  the 
money  I  sent  to  Cook. 

"Reporter — Did  any  of  the  money  go  to  Stanley? 

"  Mr.  Morris — Not  a  cent.  I  received  a  letter  from 
Noe,  in  which  he  desired  to  have  a  part,  but  as  I  did 
not  wish  to  be  dealing  with  too  many  parties  I  sent 
the  money  as  I  said,  to  Cook ;  but  Stanley  did  not 
finger  any  of  it,  and  if  Noe  was  treated  with  any  in- 
justice Cook  was  the  person  he  had  got  to  look  to, 
not  to  Stanley  or  me.  This  closed  the  transaction 
at  the  time,  and  I  heard  nothing  more  of  the  parties 
for  some  years. 

"Reporter — When  did  you  see  Mr.  Stanley  again  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris — During  the  last  year  of  my  official 
residence  in  Turkey.  In  that  year  a  distinguished 
American  clergyman  called  upon  me  at  the  Embassy 
and  asked  me  did  I  remember  anything  about  a  per- 
son named  Stanley.  I  answered  in  the  affirmative, 
and  he  then  stated  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  desired  him* 
to  call  relative  to  a  long-standing  debt  of  ^"150,  which 
he  believed  was  owing  to  me,  which  had  never  been 
settled  and  which  he  was  desirous  to  pay.     I  told  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  IQI 

clergyman  that  the  matter  had  been  long  settled  and 
that  I  had  been  paid.  The  gentleman  further  stated 
that  Mr.  Stanley  desired  to  call  upon  me,  and  I  re- 
plied that  he  was  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so.  The 
same  evening  Mr.  Stanley  and  the  clergyman  called 
and  by  invitation  remained  to  dinner.  The  two  gen- 
tlemen had  come  on  from  Egypt  together,  and  the 
clergyman  had  an  admiration  which  almost  amounted 
to  veneration  for  the  character  of  the  '  Herald'  cor- 
respondent. 

"  Reporter — Was  Mr.  Stanley  much  changed  in  his 
appearance  and  manner? 

"  Mr.  Morris — Wonderfully.  The  uncouth  young 
man  whom  I  first  knew  had  grown  into  a  perfect 
man  of  the  world,  possessing  the  appearance,  the 
manners  and  the  attributes  of  a  perfect  gentleman. 
The  story  of  the  adventures  which  he  had  gone 
through  and  the  dangers  he  had  passed  during  his 
absence  were  perfectly  marvellous,  and  he  became 
the  lion  of  our  little  circle.  Scarcely  a  day  passed 
but  he  was  a  guest  at  my  table,  and  no  one  was  more 
welcome,  for  I  insensibly  grew  to  have  a  strong  ad- 
miration and  felt  an  attachment  for  him  myself.  In- 
stead of  thinking  he  was  a  young  man  who  had  barely 
seen  twenty-six  summers  you  would  imagine  that  he 
was  thirty-five  or  forty  years  of  age,  so  cultured  and 
learned  was  he  in  all  the  ways  of  life.  He  possessed 
a  thorough  acquaintance  with  most  of  the  eastern 
countries,  and,  as  I  took  an  interest  in  all  that  related 
to  Oriental  life,  we  had  many  a  talk  about  what  *he 
had  seen  and  what  I  longed  to  see.  He  stated  to 
me  that  he  had  a  sort  of  roving  commission  for  the 


I92  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Herald,  but  that  he  had  exhausted  all  known 
countries  and  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  where  he 
should  go  next.  I  said  to  him,  ■  Stanley,  what  do 
you  think  of  trying  Persia  ?  That  is  an  unexplored 
country,  and  would  well  repay  a  visit  if  you  could 
get  back  with  your  life.'  Stanley  thought  over  the 
proposal,  and  rapidly  came  to  the  conclusion  he 
would  go.  I  busied  myself  in  procuring  him  letters 
of  introduction  to  the  Russian  authorities  in  the 
Caucasus,  in  Georgia  and  in  other  countries  through 
which  he  would  have  to  pass.  He  saw  the  Russian 
Ambassador  at  Constantinople  in  person,  who  was 
so  well  impressed  with  him  that  he  made  extra  exer- 
tions to  facilitate  his  progress  to  the  mysterious 
home  of  the  Grand  Llama.  I  had  some  time  previ- 
ous to  this  had  a  Henry  rifle  sent  me  from  a  friend 
in  New  York,  as  a  specimen  of  American  art,  and 
this  I  presented  to  Stanley,  with  my  best  wishes  for 
the  success  of  his  undertaking.  He  started  on  the 
desperate  enterprise  some  time  after,  and  my  table 
thereby  lost  one  of  its  most  entertaining  guests. 
When  I  say  desperate  enterprise  I  mean  it,  for  Per- 
sia is  to  a  European  a  practically  unexplored  coun- 
try; and,  in  consequence  of  its  weak  government 
and  the  marauders  with  which  it  abounds,  a  journey 
to  Zanzibar  or  Unyanyembe  would  be  a  safe  trip 
compared  to  it.  How  Mr.  Stanley  accomplished  the 
task  he  undertook  the  columns  of  the  Herald  will 
tell.  I  received  a  letter  from  him,  while  on  the 
way,  narrating  the  hospitable  manner  in  which  he 
had  been  entertained  by  the  Russian  authorities,  and 
the  way  in  which  he  had  astonished  them  by  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 93 

performances  of  his  Henry  rifle.  His  journey 
through  the  Caucasus  and  Georgia  was  a  sort  of 
triumphal  march,  though  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  lost 
man  by  all  who  knew  anything  of  the  East.  The 
route  he  took  was  an  entirely  new  one,  as  he  went 
in  a  kind  of  zigzag  way  to  Thibet,  and  he  must  have 
a  charmed  life  to  have  come  through  so  much  peril 
in  complete  safety.  After  this  affair  I  returned  home, 
and  I  did  not  hear  of  Mr.  Stanley  again  until  I  heard 
of  him  as  the  discoverer  of  Livingstone. 

"  Reporter — Were  you  astonished  at  hearing  of  the 
latter  fact  ? 

"  Mr.  Morris — Not  in  the  slightest.  I  would  be 
astonished  at  no  feat  in  the  line  of  travel  that  he 
would  accomplish.  He  is  a  born  traveller.  He  has 
all  the  qualities  which  the  great  explorers  possessed — 
Mungo  Park,  Humboldt,  and  Livingstone  himself — 
a  hardy  frame,  unflinching  courage,  and  inflexible 
perseverance.  If  such  a  thing  were  possible  that  I 
were  forced  to  become  a  member  of  a  band  to  under- 
take some  forlorn  hope,  some  desperate  enterprise,  I 
know  of  no  one  whom  I  would  so  readily  select  as 
the  leader  of  such  an  undertaking  as  Henry  Stanley. 
I  receive  his  narrative  of  the  discovery  of  Living- 
stone with  implicit  faith,  and  from  my  knowledge  of 
him  and  his  character  I  am  lost  in  wonder  that  his 
story  should  be  for  an  instant  doubted.  That  he  has 
found  Livingstone  is,  in  my  opinion,  as  great  a  cer- 
tainty as  that  you  are  now  in  Atlantic  City.  The 
perils  of  a  journey  into  the  interior  of  Africa  would 
have  no  terrors  for  him." 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  year  1868  was  spent 


194  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

by  Mr  Stanley  in  Abyssinia,  where  he  accompanied 
the  British  expedition  against  King  Theodore.  He 
accompanied  the  English  army  as  far  as  Magadla, 
and  on  several  occasions  was  enabled  to  transmit 
accounts  of  the  expedition,  embracing  most  import- 
ant news,  to  the  "  Herald"  in  advance  of  intelligence 
sent  to  the  British  government.  The  people  of 
America  were  thus  supplied  with  intelligence  of  this 
singular  British  foray  in  northeastern  Africa  before 
the  people  of  England,  and  it  may  well  be  suspected 
that  they  know  more  of  the  Anglo- Abyssinian  war  to- 
day than  the  people  of  England  generally  know.  Mr. 
Stanley's  remarkable  successes  in  Abyssinia  were 
highly  appreciated  by  the  "  Herald,"  and  the  quest 
for  Dr.  Livingstone  being  now  fully  determined  upon, 
there  was  no  hesitation  in  placing  him  in  charge  of 
the  expedition. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  now  about  twenty-nine  years  of  age# 
He  is  a  thick-set,  powerful  man,  though  short  of 
stature,  being  only  about  five  feet  seven  inches  in 
height.  He  is  a  sure  shot,  an  expert  swimmer,  a  fine 
horseman,  a  trained  athlete.  But  few  men  living  have 
had  more  experience  in  "  roughing  it."  A  better 
selection  for  the  command  of  its  singular  undertak- 
ing the  "  Herald"  could  not  possibly  have  made. 
And  this  the  result,  so  astonishing  to  the  world, 
proves. 

And  thus  it  was  that  the  discoverer  of  the  dis- 
cover was  prepared  for  his  great  work,  which,  as  we 
saw  at  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter,  he  had  en- 
tered upon,  strongly  feeling  that  while  he  should  be 
in    search   of    Livingstone    from  the  east    coast    of 


N\ 


Henry  M.  Stanley,  Chief  of  the  "  Herald"  Expedition  of  Search. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


197 


Africa,  the  explorer  would  be  on  his  journey  out  of 
the  country  by  way  of  the  Nile.  For  he  concludes 
his  Zanzibar  letter  of  February  9,  1869,  to  which  we 
have  referred,  as  follows: 

"  Now,  the  readers  of  this  letter  know  really  as 
much  of  the  whereabouts  of  Dr.  Livingstone  as  I 
do,  but  probably  from  conversations  heard  from  dif- 
ferent persons  I  have  greater  reasons  for  judging  oi 
the  case,  and  I  believe  it  will  be  a  very  long  time  yet 
before  Dr.  Livingstone  arrives,  and  that  his  return 
will  be  by  the  River  Nile." 

With  this  opinion,  but  with  a  good  stock  of  sup- 
plies for  Livingstone's  journey  down  the  Nile,  should 
he  be  found  proceeding  in  that  way,  and  with  the 
best  escort  attainable,  Stanley,  in  charge  of  the 
unique  newspaper  expedition,  but  not  till  after  long 
delay,  on  account  of  wars,  plunged  into  the  wilder- 
ness, to  be  heard  from  no  more  until  after  many  long 
months  of  suspense  and  conjecture. 


CHAPTER   XL 

MR.    STANLEY    IN    AFRICA. 

The  Search  for  Dr.  Livingstone  Energetically  Begun — Progress  Delayed  by 
Wars — The  Successful  Journey  from  Unyanyembe  to  Ujiji  in  1871 — The 
"  Herald"  Cable  Telegram  Announcing  the  Safety  of  Livingstone — The 
Battles  and  Incidents  of  this  Newspaper  Campaign — Receipt  of  the  Great 
News — The  Honor  Bestowed  on  American  Journalism. 

Mr.  Stanley  found  it  much  more  difficult  to  get 
into  Africa  than  to  that  singular  land.  It  was.  un- 
derstood, according  to  the  best  intelligence  to  be  had 
that  Dr.  Livingstone  would  probably  be  found,  if 
found  at  all,  not  far  from  Ujiji.  From  Bagamoyo,  on 
the  mainland  of  Africa,  opposite  the  island  of  Zanzi- 
bar, there  is  a  caravan  route  to  Unyanyembe.  The 
journey  generally  takes  some  four  months.  At  the 
time  Mr.  Stanley  undertook  to  proceed  inland,  he 
found  the  country  disturbed  by  wars,  and  though 
starting  now  and  again,  he  was  delayed  many  weary 
months  on  this  account.  "Forward  and  back"  was 
the  necessary  call  of  the  situation.  At  length  the 
country  became  so  far  quiet  between  Bagamoyo  and 
Unyanyembe  that  the  expedition,  which  terminated 
in  success,  set  forth  very  early  in  April,  1871,  and, 
after  an  unusually  rapid  journey,  the  caravan  reached 
Unyanyembe  on  the  23d  of  June.  Hence  letters 
were  dispatched  home,  but  from  this  time  for  more 
than  a  year,  the  world  remained  in  ignorance  of  the 
fate  of  the  expedition. 

198 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  1 99 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  July,  1872,  how- 
ever, in  the  midst  of  the  great  Peace  Jubilee  at  the 
city  of  Boston,  appeared  a  cable  telegram  from  Lon- 
don to  the  New  York  "  Herald,"  announcing  the  dis- 
covery of  Livingstone  and  the  consequent  complete 
success  of  the  great  American  journal's  enterprise. 
This  telegram,  perhaps  the  most  expensive  ever  sent 
by  a  private  party,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
instances  of  modern  newspaper  enterprise.  It 
eclipsed  the  Jubilee.  It  is  worthy  of  preservation, 
just  as  it  was  printed  in  the  "  Herald"  on  the  memor- 
able Tuesday  morning.  Nor  will  it  be  out  of  place, 
as  picturing  forth  a  certain  newspaperial  idiosyncrasy, 
for  preservation  also  in  book  form,  to  quote  the 
headings  of  this  famous  telegram,  with  the  "sub- 
headings" in  the  despatch,  thus  giving  as  faithful  an 
imitation  of  it  as  can  be  done  by  types.  It  need 
hardly  be  said  that  the  telegram  occupied  the  most 
conspicuous  place  in  the  "  Herald"  of  the  day,  and 
was  double  leaded  throughout.  And  thus  it  ap- 
peared : 

LIVINGSTONE. 


Herald  Special  From  Central  Africa. 


Finding   The  Great  Explorer, 

Exciting    History  of  the  Successful    Herald 
Expedition. 

Perils  and    Losses  by  Sickness,    Hostile   Tribes 
and    Jungle  Disaster. 


200  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Arrival  at   Unyanyembe — A  Reign  of  Terror. 


MIRAMBO,  KING  OF  UJOWA. 
The    Herald  Carries  the  War  into  Africa. 


ALLIANCE  WITH  THE  ARABS. 


Two   Villages  Captured —  The  Natives  Killed —  The 
Herald  Commander  Fever  Stricken. 


An  Ambuscade  by  Mirambo — Slaughter  and  Flight 
of  the  Arabs. 


Rallying  Under  the    Herald  Leader  and   the 
American  Flag. 


FOR  WARD  TO  UJIJL 


A   Further  Journey  of  Four  Hundred  Miles. 


IN  SIGHT  OF  TANGANYIKA  LAKE. 


A    Triumphal   Entry  Into   Ujiji — Drums  Beating 
and  Colors  Flying. 

THE  MEETING  WITH  LIVINGSTONE. 


A  Picture  for  History — The  Grasp  of  the  Two 
Explorers. 


EXPLORATIONS  BY  DR.  LIVINGSTONE. 


The  Chambesi  the  True  Source  of  the  Nile. 


explorations  in  africa.  201 

It  is  not  Supplied  From  Tanganyika. 


The  Great  Doctor  to  Remain  Two  Years  Longer. 

TELEGRAM  TO  THE  NEW  YORK 
HERALD. 


The  following  special  despatch  has  been  received 
from  the  Herald  correspondent  in  London  : — 

London,  July  i,  1872. 
the  glorious  news. 

It  is  with  the  deepest  emotions  of  pride  and  pleas- 
ure that  I  announce  the  arrival  this  day  of  letters 
from  Mr.  Stanley,  Chief  of  the  Herald  Exploring 
Expedition  to  Central  Africa.  I  have  forwarded  the 
letters  by  mail.  Knowing,  however,  the  importance 
of  the  subject  and  the  impatience  with  which 

RELIABLE    NEWS 

is  awaited,  I  hasten  to  telegraph  a  summary  of  the 
Herald  explorer's  letters,  which  are  full  of  the 
most  romantic  interest,  while  affirming,  emphatically, 

THE    SAFETY    OF    DR.    LIVINGSTONE, 

and  confirming  the  meagre  reports  already  sent  on 
here  by  telegraph  from  Bombay  and  duly  forwarded 
to  the  Herald.    To  bring  up  the  thread  of 

THE    THRILLING    NARRATIVE 

where  the  last  communication  from  him  ended  he 
proceeds  with  his  account  of  the  journey.  It  will  be 
recalled  that  when  last  heard  from  he  had  arrived  in 
the  country  of  Unyanyembe,  after  a  perilous  march 
of  eighty-two  days  from  Bagamoyo,  on  the  coast  op- 
posite the  island   of  Zanzibar.     The  road  up  to  this 


202  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

point  had  been  in 

THE  REGULAR  CARAVAN  TRACK, 

and  the  journey  was  performed  in  a  much  shorter 
time  than  the  same  distance  had  been  traversed  by 
previous  explorers.     The  expedition 

ARRIVED  AT  UNYANYEMBE 

on  the  23d  of  June,  1871,  where  he  sent  forward  his 
communication.  The  caravan  had  need  of  rest,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  refit  while  an  opportunity  was  at 
hand  through  the  medium  of  the  Arab  caravans  then 
on  their  way  to  various  points  on  the  coast  with  ivory 
and  slaves.  The  expedition  had  suffered  terribly, 
but  the  heart  of  the  Herald  explorer  never  gave 
out. 

THE    TERRIBLE  CLIMATE 

of  the  countries  through  which  it  had  passed  told  on 
it  even  more  than  the  difficulties  of  the  tribes  at  war 
among  themselves  and  upon  everything  that  came  in 
their  way  and  which  they  were  in  sufficient  force  to 
attack.  The  caravans  met  at  the  various  halting 
places  threw  every  discouragement  in  the  way,  which 
tended  to  destroy  the  morale  of  the  expedition. 

SEEDY    BOMBAY, 

however,  the  captain  of  the  expedition,  proved  in- 
valuable in  controlling  the  disaffected,  whether  with 
tact  or  a  wholesome  display  of  force  when  necessary. 

THE    INCESSANT    RAINS, 

alternated  with  a  fierce  African  sun,  made  the  atmos- 
phere heavy,  charged  with  moisture,  and  producing 
a  rank,  rotten  vegetation.  In  the  mountainous  re- 
gions which  we  traversed  the  climate  was,  of  course, 
much  better,  and  the  result  was  that  the  expedition 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  203 

much  improved  in  health.  The  miasmatic  vapors 
and  other  hardships  of  the  journey  had  played  sad 
havoc  with  its  number  and  force. 

THE    TOTAL    LOSS 

up  to  this  point  by  sickness  had  been  one  white  man, 
two  of  the  armed  escort,  and  eight  of  the  pagazis 
or  native  porters.  The  two  horses  had  also  suc- 
cumbed, and  twenty-seven  of  the  asses  had  either 
fallen  by  the  wayside  and  had  to  be  abandoned  or 
else  the  rascally  native  donkey  leaders  had  allowed 
them  to  stray  from  the  kraal  at  night.  As  a  conse- 
quence, a  considerable  quantity  of  the  stores  were 
either  lost  or  wasted,  but  the  rolls  of  Merikani 
(American  cloth)  —  for  shukkah  and  doti  —  the 
beads  and  wire — had  been  as  far  as  possible  pre- 
served, they  being  the  only  money  in  Central  Africa. 
In  July 

ALL    WAS    PREPARED    TO    MOVE 

through  Unyanyembe ;  but  before  long  it  was  found 
that  almost  insuperable  difficulties  were  interposed. 
The  country  there  is  composed  of  thick  jungle,  with 
large  clearings  for  the  cultivation  of  holcus.  The 
utmost  alarm  and  excitement  were  spread  through  the 
native  villages  at 

THE  EXPECTATION  OF  A  WAR. 

The  inhabitants  were  shy  of  intercourse,  and  it  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  supplies  could  be  obtained. 
A  little  further  on  the  villages  on  either  side  of  the 
track  were  found  to  be  filled  with  Arab 

CARAVANS  AFRAID  TO  ADVANCE. 

and  gathering  together  for  security.  The  cause  of 
all  this  alarm  was  soon   discovered.     The  ku  honga 


204  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

or  blackmail  levied  by  the  head  men  of  the  tribes  as 
a  sort  of  toll  for  passage  through  their  territories, 
had  been  inordinately  raised  in  the  Ujowa  country  by 

MIRAMBO, 

King  of  the  Wagowa.  Obstinate  fights  had  already 
occurred  in  which  small  bands  of  his  soldiers  had 
been  beaten,  several  being  killed.  He  had,  therefore, 
declared  to  the  traders  that  no  caravan  should  pass 
to  Ujiji  except  over  his  body.  The  Arabs  hereupon 
held  a  council,  and,  finding  themselves  strong  in  fight- 
ing men, 

DECLARED  WAR  ON  MIRAMBO. 

The  Herald  commander  took  part  in  this.  The 
Arabs  appeared  to  anticipate  a  speedy  victory,  and 
preparations  for  a  jungle  fight  were  accordingly  made. 
The  ammunition  was  looked  to,  muskets  inspected 
and  matchlocks  cleaned.  The  superior  armament  of 
the  Herald  expedition  made  their  assistance  a  mat- 
ter of  great  importance  to  the  Arabs. 

THE  HERALD  GOES  TO  WAR. 

An  address  was  delivered  to  the  members  of  the 
expedition  through  Selim,  the  interpreter,  and  the 
forces,  with  the  American  flag  flying,  were  marshalled 
by  Captain  Seedy  Bombay. 

THE  FIRST  FIGHT. 

At  daybreak  on  the  day  following,  according  to 
previous  arrangement,  the  armed  men  were  divided 
into  three  parties.  The  vanguard  for  attack,  the  rear 
guard  as  immediate  reserve,  and  the  remainder,  con- 
sisting of  the  less  active,  were  stationed  with  the  im- 
pedimenta and  slaves  in  the  kraals.  The  advance  was 
ordered  and  responded  to  with  alacrity,  and  the  first 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  205 

village  where  the  soldiers  of  Mirambo  were  lying  was 
at  once  attacked  and  speedily  captured.  The  inhabi- 
tants were 

EITHER  KILLED  OR  DRIVEN  AWAY. 

Another  village  followed  the  fate  of  the  first,  and 
both  were  left  in  ashes  before  nightfall.  The  troops 
were  wearied  with  the  hot  day's  work,  but  all  were 
elate  at  their  success  thus  far.  The  commander  of 
the  Herald  expedition,  on  his  return  to  camp, 
passed  a  sleepless  night,  and  morning  found  him 

IN  A  HIGH  FEVER. 

He  was  therefore  obliged  to  remain  in  camp,  and  his 
forces  refused  to  fight  except  under  his  lead.  This 
weakened  the  Arab  force  considerably,  and,  although 
the  dreaded  Mirambo  and  his  followers,  thirsting  for 
vengeance,  were  known  to  be  in  the  vicinity,  the  day 
was  passed  in  fatal  inactivity. 

THE  AMBUSH  OF  MIRAMBO. 

The  third  day  seemed  as  if  about  to  pass  like  the 
preceding,  the  Herald  commander  still  suffering 
from  the  fever,  when  shots  were  heard  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Arab  kraals,  and  it  soon  became  evident 
that  the  wily  Mirambo  had  ambushed  the  Arabs. 
This,  in  effect,  was  the  case.  A  superior  body  of 
natives,  armed  with  muskets,  assegais  (spears)  and 
poisoned  arrows,  had  suddenly  burst  upon  the  Arabs. 

A  TERRIFIC  SLAUGHTER  ENSUED, 

which  ended  in  the  rout  with  the  Arabs,  who  took 
refuge  in  the  jungle.  The  fourth  day  brought  with 
it  the  fruit  of  the  disaster.  The  Arabs  could  not  be 
prevailed  upon  to  renew  the  fight,  and  desertion  and 
flight  became  the  order  of  the  day.     Even  the 


206  EXPLORATIONS  IN  AFRICA. 

MEN  OF  THE  HERALD  EXPEDITION  DESERTED, 

leaving  but  six  with  the  commander.  Mirambo  now 
threatened  the  town  of  Unyanyembe.  By  stupen- 
dous exertion  the  commander  collected  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  the  fugitives ;  these  being  convinced  by 
their  numbers,  when  collected  together,  that  resist- 
ance was  still  possible,  resolved  to  obey  the  com- 
mander. 

FORTIFYING  FOR  A  SIEGE. 

With  five  days  provisions  on  hand  the  houses  were 
loopholed  and  barricades  erected,  videttes  stationed 
and  the  defenders  told  off  as  well  as  their  numbers, 
armament  and  morale  could  be  individually  depend- 
ed on. 

THE  AMERICAN  FLAG  WAS  HOISTED 

and  the  trembling  inhabitants  awaited  the  expected 
attack.  This,  however,  was  destined  not  to  come  off, 
for,  to  the  general  delight,  a  Wanyamwezi  scout 
brought  in  the  joyful  intelligence  that  Mirambo,  with 
all  his  forces,  had  retired,  not  caring  to  risk  an  en- 
gagement, except  in  the  jungle.  Mustering  what 
force  was  possible,  the  intrepid  Herald  commander 
then 

STARTED  FOR    UJIJI, 

on  the  Tanganyika  Lake,  or  Sea  of  Ujiji.  The  Arabs 
endeavored  in  vain  to  dissuade  him  from  this.  Death, 
they  said,  was  certain  to  the  muzanyu  (white  man)  and 
his  followers.  This  frightened  the  already  demoral- 
ized pagazis  and  caused  a  serious  loss  to  the  expedi- 
tion in  the  person  of  Shaw,  the  English  sailor.  Un- 
daunted by  the  forebodings  of  ill  and  the  losses  by 
desertion,  the  caravan  once  more  was  on  the  march 
and  pushed  forward 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  207 

BY  ANOTHER  ROAD, 

to  the  one  where  Mirambo  and  his  Africans  were 
awaiting  the  first  caravan.  This  road  lay  through  an 
untrodden  desert,  and  caused 

A    GREAT  DETOUR 

in  order  to  come  again  upon  the  caravan  road  in  the 
rear  of  the  Wajowa.  No  great  mishaps  were  met 
with,  and  when  the  villages  and  cultivated  fields  of 
sorghum,  and  holcus  were  reached  everything  pro- 
gressed favorably. 

AFTER  A  FOUR  HUNDRED  MILE  JOURNEY 

the  outlying  portions  of  the  province  of  Ujiji  were 
reached.  Word  had  reached  the  expedition  of  the 
presence  of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  the  province  within  a 
recent  period,  and  accordingly  preparations  were 
made  for 

A  TRIUMPHIAL  ENTRY  INTO  UJIJI. 

The  pagazis  who  chanced  to  be  unladen  proceeded, 
beating  drums  and  blowing  upon  Kudu  horns.  The 
armed  escort  fired  salutes  every  moment,  keeping  up 
a  regular  feu  de  joie,  and  the  American  flag  floated 
proudly  over  all.  In  the  distance  lay  the  silver 
bosom  of  Tanganyika  Lake,  at  the  foot  of  the  stately 
mountains  in  the  background,  and  fringed  with  tall 
trees  and  lovely  verdure.  It  was  a  wonderful  relief 
to  the  pilgrims  of  progress.  Before  them  lay  the 
settlement  or  town  of  Ujiji,  with  its  huts  and  houses 
looking  dreamily  like  a  land  of  rest. 

THE  ASTONISHED    NATIVES 

turned  out  at  the  unwonted  display,  and  flocked  in 
crowds  to  meet  them  with  deafening  shouts  and  beat- 
ing  of  drums.     Among  the  advancing  throng  was  no- 


208  '  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ticed  a  muscular  group  of  turbaned  Arabs.  As  they 
advanced  still  nearer 

ONE  OF  THE  GROUP 

who  walked  in  the  centre  was  noticed  to  be  different- 
ly attired  from  the  others.  The  group  halted,  and 
the  word  was  passed  back  that  a  muzangu  was  among 
them.  Spurring  forward  the  Herald  commander 
indeed  saw  that,  strongly  contrasting  with  the  dusky, 
sunburnt  Arab  faces,  was 

A  HALE-LOOKING,  GRAY-BEARDED  WHITE  MAN, 

wearing  a  navy  cap,  with  a  faded  gold  band  and  a  red 
woolen  jacket.  It  was  a  trying  moment,  wherein 
every  emotion  of  hope  and  fear  flashed  through  the 
brain.  The  fatigues  faded  in  the  intensity  of  the  sit- 
uation. The  questions,  was  this  he  who  had  so  long 
been  sought,  or  could  it  be  a  delusion  of  the  mind,  or 
was  the  white  man  some  unknown  waif  of  humanity? 
crowded  the  mind,  bringing  their  changing  feelings 
with  them.  A  few  feet  in  front  of  the  group  the 
Herald  commander  halted,  dismounted  and  ad- 
vanced on  foot. 

A  HISTORIC  MEETING. 

Preserving  a  calmness  of  exterior  before  the  Arabs 
which  was  hard  to  simulate  as  he  reached  the  group, 
Mr.  Stanley  said  : — 

"  Dr.  Livingstone,  I  presume  ?" 

A  smile  lit  up  the  features  of  the  hale  white  man 
as  he  answered : 

"YES,  THAT  IS  MY  NAME." 

The  meeting  was  most  cordial,  and  the  wearied 
caravan,  joyous  at  the  triumph  of  the  expedition, 
were  escorted  by  the  multitude  to  the  town.     After 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  209 

a  rest  and  a  meal,  in  which  milk,  honey  and  fish  from 
Tanganyika  were  new  features, 

LIVINGSTONE  TOLD  HIS  STORY, 

which  is  briefly  as  follows: — 

In  March,  1866,  he  informed  the  Herald  ex- 
plorer that  he  started  with  twelve  Sepoys,  nine  Jo- 
hanna men  and  seven  liberated  slaves.     He  travelled 

UP  THE  ROVUMA  RIVER. 

Before  they  had  been  gone  very  long  the  men  be- 
came frightened  at  the  nature  of  the  journey,  and 
the  reports  of  hostile  tribes  up  the  country  they  were 
to  pass  through.  At  length  they  deserted  him,  and, 
as  a  cover  to  their  cowardice  in  doing  so,  circulated 

THE  REPORT  OF  HIS  DEATH. 

Livingstone  proceeded  on  his  journey  in  spite  of 
the  isolation,  and  after  some  difficult  marching 
reached  the  Chambezi  River,  which  he  crossed.  He 
found  that  this  was  not  the  Portuguese  Zambezi 
River,  as  had  been  conjectured,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
wholly  separate.  He  traced  its  course,  and  found  it 
called  further  on 

THE  LUALABA. 

He  continued  his  explorations  along  its  banks  for 
700  miles,  and  has  become  convinced  in  consequence 
that  the  Chambezi  is 

DOUBTLESS  THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  NILE, 

and  that  this  will  make  a  total  length  for  the  mystic 
river  of  Africa  of  2,600  miles.  His  explorations  also 
establish  that  the  Nile  is  not  supplied  by  Lake  Tan- 
ganyika. He  reached  within  180  miles  of  the  source 
and  explored  the  surrounding  ground,  when, 


2IO  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

FINDING  HIMSELF  WITHOUT  SUPPLIES, 

he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Ujiji  and  was  in  a  state 
of  destitution  there  when  met  by  the  commander  of 
the  "  Herald"  expedition.  On  the  16th  of  October, 
1871, 

THE  TWO  EXPLORERS  LEFT  UJIJI 

and  arrived  at  Unyanyembe  toward  the  end  of  No- 
vember, where  they  passed  twenty-eight  days  to- 
gether exploring  the  district.  They  then  returned 
and 

SPENT  CHRISTMAS  TOGETHER 

at  Uj'iji.     The  Herald  explorer  arrived  at  the  point 
of  sending  this  important  intelligence  on  the  14th  o 
March,  1872,  leaving  Livingstone  at  Unyanyembe. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  FURTHER  PLANS. 

He  will  explore  the  north  shore  of  Tanganyika 
Lake  and  the  remaining  180  miles  of  the  Lualaba 
River. 

This  herculean  task  he  expects  will  occupy  the  next 
two  years. 

There  have  been  but  few  "  sensations"  more  pro- 
found than  the  sensation  created  by  this  despatch. 
As  has  been  said,  it  threw  the  great  Peace  Jubilee 
into  the  shade.  Sporting  men  who  had  just  won  on 
the  race-horse  "  Longfellow"  or  lost  on  "Harry  Bas- 
sett,"  paused  for  a  while  to  think  of  the  strange  in- 
telligence. The  report  of  the  trial  of  him  who  had 
been  charged  with  the  murder  of  the  noted  James 
Fisk,  Jr.  attracted  but  comparatively  little  attention. 
All  through  the  section  of  the  great  city  known  as 
"  Five  Points"  the  news  was  discussed  by  the  tatter- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  211 

demalions  of  the  metropolis ;  all  up  and  down  Fifth 
Avenue,  thousands  of  the  best  representatives  of 
wealth  and  of  culture  canvassed  the  double-leaded  tel- 
egram ;  and  Wall  street  gave  it  as  much  attention  as 
it  gave  to  stocks  and  government  securities.  The 
substance  of  the  telegram  was  sent  to  the  evening 
papers  all  over  the  country  and  to  Europe,  and  be- 
fore sunset  of  July  2d  a  vast  majority  of  intelligent 
people  of  Christendom  knew  that  Livingstone  had 
been  found,  and  through  the  means  of  American  pri- 
vate enterprise.  It  was  a  triumph  in  which  the 
"  Herald"  might  have  been  excused,  had  it  indulged 
in  no  little  self-glorification.  Its  article  upon  the 
subject,  however,  was  greatly  national  in  spirit,  and 
awarded  the  credit  of  the  success  to  American  jour 
nalism,  rather  than  claimed  it  for  itself* 

♦The  leading  article  of  the  "  Herald"  upon  this  subject  is  worthy  of  quota- 
tion here  as  a  part  of  the  journalistic  history  of  this  remarkable  expedition  : 

The  triumph  of  the  Herald  exploring  expedition  to  search  in  the  heart  ot 
Equatorial  Africa  for  the  long-lost  Doctor  David  Livingstone  is  one  which  be- 
longs to  the  entire  press  of  America  as  well  as  to  the  journal  whose  fortune  it 
was  to  originate  and  carry  it  out.  It  marks  the  era  in  which  the  press,  already 
beyond  the  control  of  even  the  most  exalted  among  men,  who  may  hold  states 
and  empires  in  their  grasp,  strikes  out  boldly  into  new  fields  and  treads  daringly 
on  terra  incognita,  whether  of  mind  or  matter.  This  is  distinctively  the  work  of 
the  American  press,  whose  aspirations  and  ambitions  have  grown  with  the  maj- 
esty of  the  land,  and  whose  enterprise  'has  been  moulded  on  the  national  charac- 
ter. In  even  recent  times  the  work  of  progress  lay  in  government  hands,  or 
else  was  wholly  neglected.  Sir  John  Franklin  started  out  amid  Polar  snows  to 
work  out  the  Northern  passage  only  to  leave  his  bones  among  the  eternal  ice 
Hand  or  foot  was  not  stirred  to  learn  his  fate  until  Lady  Franklin,  with  woman's 
devotion,  fitted  out  the  expeditions  to  search  for  him  or  his  remains.  When  the 
gentleman  entrusted  with  the  command  of  the  Herald  expedition  had  arrived 
at  Unyanyembe,  half  way  on  his  journey  to  Ujiji,  he  wrote : — "  Until  I  hear 
more  of  him,  or  see  the  long-absent  old  man  face  to  face,  I  bid  you  farewell ;  bur 
wherever  he  is,  be  sure  I  shall  not  give  up  the  chase.  If  alive,  you  shall  hear 
what  he  has  to  say ;  if  dead,  I  will  find  and  bring  his  bones  to  you."     To  those 


212  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

who  neither  understood  the  man  nor  the  esprit  de  corps  which  gives  the  repre- 
sentative of  an  American  journal  his  stamp  of  vitality  the  words  may  have 
sounded  like  bombast.  For  answer  it  is  sufficient  to  point  to  the  columns  of  the 
Herald  of  to-day.  It  may  have  seemed  to  those  who  reasoned  from  a  foreign 
standpoint  that  no  man  could  so  wrap  himself  up  in  his  work  as  to  give  utter- 
ance to  such  words  with  an  earnestness  of  purpose,  backed  by  a  life  at  hazard 
from  day  to  day,  They  simply  mistake  the  spirit  of  the  American  journal.  If 
it  were  in  any  other  quarter  of  the  globe,  by  land  or  sea,  the  same  enthusiasm, 
the  same  dash,  enterprise  and  pluck  would  be  exhibited,  because  of  the  race 
which  he  runs  for  his  journal  against  equally  keen-witted  rivals,  and  not  alone 
for  the  work  itself.  Enterprise,  then,  is  the  characteristic  of  the  American 
press.  It  is  confined  to  no  one  paper,  to  no  one  locality.  Whatever  the  Her- 
ald may  have  done  in  advancing  the  national  reputation  in  this  respect  it  is 
proud  to  claim,  as  the  victor  in  the  Olympic  games  of  old  was  proud  of  his  laurel 
crown  above  all  gifts  of  gold  or  gems.  But  there  is  not  a  paper  published  be- 
tween the  Narrows  and  the  Golden  Gate  which  has  not  its  own  laurels  in  the 
line  of  enterprise  to  glory  in,  and  there  is  not  one  leaf  of  the  wreath  that  has  not 
been  snatched  at  and  wrestled  for  by  a  hundred  sinewy  journalistic  minds. 
Thus  no  one  journal  on  the  Continent  looks  up  to  a  permanent  head  of  the  pro- 
fession. To-day  one  paper  may  be  "  ahead  on  the  news  ;"  to-morrow  another 
will  snatch  the  chaplet  from  its  brows.  The  enterprise  of  a  contemporary  in  the 
late  Franco- Prussian  war  was  celebrated  all  over  the  land,  as  we  have  no  doubf 
the  success  of  the  Herald  will  be  when  the  Herald's  special  columns  are  pe- 
rused to-day. 

In  England  the  London  Times  is  looked  up  to  all  over  as  a  Triton  among  the 
minnows.  It  is  the  great  paper.  The  Daily  Telegraph  is  the  cheapest,  spiciest 
paper  published  there  ;  the  Standard  is  a  careful,  able  Tory  organ  ;  the  Post  is  a 
quiet,  aristocratic  sheet,  but  the  Thunderer  overshadows  them  all.  Instinct 
with  the  democratic  spirit  of  our  institutions,  the  press  of  America  looks  up  to 
no  lord  among  them.  As  each  man  born  on  the  soil  may  be  President  of  the 
United  States,  so  each  paper — no  matter  what  its  origin  or  where  its  birthplace 
— feels  within  itself  the  possibility  of  precedence  in-  point  of  worth,  brains  and 
news  over  all  others.  We,  therefore,  reassert  that  the  triumph  of  the  Herald 
Livingstone  expedition  is  the  triumph  of  American  journalism  in  its  broadest 
sense. 

To  point  this  something  more,  we  may  say  that  an  American  war  correspondent 
has  achieved  what  one  of  the  most  powerful  governments  in  the  world  failed  to 
accomplish.  How  it  was  done  is  easily  told.  It  is  probable  that  an  English 
journal  might  have  succeeded,  if  it  had  undertaken  the  task  ;  but,  like  Columbus 
with  the  egg,  the  enterprise  which  knocked  in  the  end  of  the  oval  difficulty  and 
made  the  expedition  stand  for  itself  is  not  a  British  article. 

The  story  of  the  meeting  of  the  greatest  explorer  of  any  time  with  the  Herald 
correspondent,  by  the  shores  of  Lake  Tanganyika,  with  one  thousand  miles  of 
desert,  jungle,  jagged  mountain  path  and  sodden  valley  trail,  peopled  with 
brutal,  ignorant  savages,  behind  him,  is  one  which  will  long  be  remembered? 


The  Discovery  of  Dr.  Livingstone.    Map  of  Equatorial  Africa,  Showing  the 

Route  Explored. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  21$ 

The  Herald  correspondent  has  kept  his  word.  Happily  for  civilization  there 
was  no  necessity  to  carry  back  to  distant  civilization  the  relics  ol  her  hero.  He 
is  alive  and  well  and  hopes  to  carry  himself  home  when  he  has  attained  the  ob- 
ject of  his  stay.  In  March,  i366,  he  started  up  the  Rovuma,  but  was  deserted, 
and  the  false  Moosa  spread  the  lying  story  of  his  death  to  cover  his  own  pol- 
troonery, as  was  hoped  against  hope  when  the  baleful  tidings  first  came  to  hand. 
The  undaunted  Livingstone  then  set  forward  and  reached  the  Chambezi  River, 
which  he  discovered  has  no  connection  with  the  Portuguese  Zambesi  River, 
which  disembogues  into  the  Mozambique  Channel  opposite  Madagascar.  But 
the  gem  of  his  discovery  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  Chambezi  is  the  true  source  of 
the  Nile.  He  followed  its  course  for  seven  hundred  miles  towards  its  source, 
but  was  obliged  to  turn  back  in  want,  with  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  unex- 
plored. The  Chambezi  towards  its  source  is  called  the  Lualaba,  and  is  not  sup- 
plied from  Lake  Tanganyika,  and  the  latter  lake  has  no  effluence  to  the  Nile. 
To  solve  the  problem  of  the  Lualaba  and  pass  round  the  northern  shore  of  Lake 
Tanganyika,  Livingstone  purposes  spending  two  years  more  in  Central  Africa. 
Truly  this  is  great  news,  and  we  congratulate  the  world  that  neither  the  life  noi 
the  toil  of  so  great  a  man  is  lost  to  the  world,  as  the  fates  seemed  so  grimly  to 
threaten.  The  story  of  his  solitary  land-finding  will  now  be  read  by  joyful  mil- 
lions, who,  if  they  cannot  all  appreciate  fully  his  labors,  will  not  grudge  him  the 
tribute  of  lasting  admiration. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  MEETING  OF  LIVINGSTONE  AND  STANLEY. 

The  "  Land  of  the  Moon" — Description  of  the  Country  and  People — Horrid 
Savage  Rites — Journey  from  Unyanyembe  to  Ujiji — A  Wonderful  Country — 
A  Mighty  River  Spanned  by  a  Bridge  of  Grass — Outwitting  the  Spoilers — 
Stanley's  Entry  Into  Ujiji  and  Meeting  with  Livingstone — The  Great  Triumph 
of  an  American  Newspaper. 

With  the  object  of  presenting  to  the  curious  afac 
simile  of  the  famous  cable  telegram  announcing  to 
an  anxious  world  the  discovery  of  the  great  dis- 
coverer and  of  undertaking  to  preserve  it  in  book 
form,  as  vividly  illustrative  of  the  important  part 
borne  by  journalistic  enterprise  in  opening  up  Africa 
to  progress  and  civilization,  that  despatch  has  been 
literally  copied  in  the  preceding  chapter.  But  the 
full  particulars  of  the  journey  of  the  "  Herald"  special 
search  expedition,  after  leaving  the  main  caravan 
track  at  Unyanyembe,  are  of  thrilling  interest.  In- 
stead of  going  directly  from  the  last  named  place  to 
Ujiji,  Mr.  Stanley  was  compelled,  by  reason  of  hostile 
tribes,  to  make  an  extensive  detour  to  the  southwest, 
and  then  march  up  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  not 
very  far  distant  from  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Tan- 
ganyika. But  first  let  us  have  quotations  from  the 
letter  written  just  before  the  fourth  and  finally  suc- 
cessful journey  written  from  Kwihara  in  the  district 
of  Unyanyembe,  on  the  21st  of  September,  1871  : 

"In  the  storeroom  where  the  cumbersome  moneys 

216 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  21 J 

of  the  New  York  Herald  Expedition  lie  piled  up 
bale  upon  bale,  sack  after  sack,  coil  after  coil,  and  the 
two  boats,  are  this  year's  supplies  sent  by  Dr.  Kirk 
to  Dr.  Livingstone — seventeen  bales  of  cloth,  twelve 
boxes  of  wine,  provisions,  and  little  luxuries  such  as 
tea  and  coffee.  When  I  came  up  with  my  last  cara- 
van to  Unyanyembe  I  found  Livingstone's  had  ar- 
rived but  four  weeks  before,  or  about  May  23  last, 
and  had  put  itself  under  charge  of  a  half-caste  called 
Thani  Kati-Kati,  or  Thani  'in  the  middle,'  or  'be- 
tween.' Before  he  could  get  carriers  he  died  of  dys- 
entry.  He  was  succeeded  in  charge  by  a  man  from 
Johanna,  who,  in  something  like  a  week,  died  of 
smallpox ;  then  Mirambo's  war  broke  out,  and  here 
we  all  are,  September  21,  both  expeditions  halted. 
But  not  for  long,  let  us  hope,  for  the  third  time  I  will 
make  a  start  the  day  after  to-morrow. 

"  Unyamwezi  is  a  romantic  name.  It  is  '  Land  of 
the  Moon'  rendered  into  English — as  romantic  and 
sweet  in  Kinyamwezi  as  any  that  Stamboul  or  Ispa- 
han can  boast  is  to  a  Turk  or  a  Persian.  The  at- 
traction, however,  to  a  European  lies  only  in  the 
name.  There  is  nothing  of  the  mystic,  nothing  of 
the  poetical,  nothing  of  the  romantic,  in  the  country 
of  Unyamwezi.  If  I  look  abroad  over  the  country  I 
see  the  most  inane  and  the  most  prosaic  country  one 
could  ever  imagine.  It  is  the  most  unlikely  country 
to  a  European  for  settlement ;  it  is  so  repulsive 
owing  to  the  notoriety  it  has  gained  for  its  fevers.  A 
white  missionary  would  shrink  back  with  horror  at 
the  thought  of  settling  in  it.  An  agriculturist  might 
be   tempted;    but   then   there    are   so  many   better 


2l8  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

countries  where  he  could  do  so  much  better  he  would 
be  a  madman  if  he  ignored  those  to  settle  in  this. 
To  know  the  general  outline  and  physical  features  of 
Unyamwezi  you  must  take  a  look  around  from  one 
of  the  noble  coigns  of  vantage  offered  by  any  of 
those  hills  of  syenite,  in  the  debatable  ground  of 
Mgunda  Makali,  in  Uyanzi.  From  the  summit  of 
one  of  those  natural  fortresses,  if  you  look  west,  you 
will  see  Unyamwezi  recede  into  the  far,  blue,  mys- 
terious distance  in  a  succession  of  blue  waves  of 
noble  forest,  rising  and  subsiding  like  the  blue  waters 
of  an  ocean.  Such  a  view  of  Unyamwezi  is  inspir- 
ing ;  and,  were  it  possible  for  you  to  wing  yourself 
westward  on  to  another  vantage  coign,  again  and 
again  the  land  undulates  after  the  same  fashion,  and 
still  afar  off  is  the  same  azure,  mystic  horizon.  As 
you  approach  Unyanyembe  the  scene  is  slightly 
changed.  Hills  of  syenite  are  seen  dotting  the  vast 
prospect,  like  islands  in  a  sea,  presenting  in  their 
external  appearance,  to  an  imaginative  eye,  rude  imi- 
tations of  castellated  fortresses  and  embattled  towers. 
A  nearer  view  of  these  hills  discloses  the  denuded 
rock,  disintegrated  masses  standing  on  end,  boulder 
resting  upon  boulder,  or  an  immense  towering  rock, 
tinted  with  the  sombre  color  age  paints  in  these  lands. 
Around  these  rocky  hills  stretch  the  cultivated  fields 
of  the  Wanyamwezi — fields  of  tall  maize,  of  holcus 
sorghum,  of  millet,  of  vetches,  &c. — among  which  you 
may  discern  the  patches  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
sweet  potatoes  and  manioc,  and  pasture  lands  where 
browse  the  hump-shouldered  cattle  of  Africa,  flocks 
of  goats  and  sheep.     This  is  the  scene  which  attracts 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  219 

the  eye,  and  is  accepted  as  promising  relief  after  the 
wearisome  marching  through  the  thorny  jungle  plains 
of  Ugogo,  the  primeval  forests  of  Uyanzi,  the  dim 
plains  of  Tura  and  Rubuga,  and  when  we  have 
emerged  from  the  twilight  shades  of  Kigwa.  No 
caravan  or  expedition  views  it  unwelcomed  by  song 
and  tumultuous  chorus,  for  rest  is  at  hand.  It  is  only 
after  a  long  halt  that  one  begins  to  weary  of  Unyan- 
yembe,  the  principal  district  of  Unyamwezi.  It  is 
only  when  one  has  been  stricken  down  almost  to  the 
grave  by  the  fatal  chilly  winds  which  blow  from  the 
heights  of  the  mountains  of  Usagara,  that  one  be- 
gins to  criticize  the  beauty  which  at  first  captivated. 
It  is  found,  then,  that  though  the  land  is  fair  to  look 
upon  ;  that  though  we  rejoiced  at  the  sight  of  its 
grand  plains,  at  its  fertile  and  glowing  fields,  at  sight 
of  the  roving  herds,  which  promised  us  abundance  of 
milk  and  cream — that  it  is  one  of  the  most  deadly 
countries  in  Africa ;  that  its  fevers,  remittent  and  in- 
termittent, are  unequalled  in  their  severity. 

"  Unyamwezi,  or  the  Land  of  the  Moon — from  U 
(country)  nya  (of  the)  mwezi  (moon) — extends  over 
three  degrees  of  latitude  in  length  and  about  two 
and  a  half  degrees  of  longitude  in  breadth.  Its 
principal  districts  are  Unyanyembe,  Ugunda,  Ugara, 
Tura,  Rubuga,  Kigwa,  Usagazi  and  Uyoweh.  Each 
district  has  its  own  chief  prince,  king,  or  mtemt,  as 
he  is  called  in  Kinyamwezi.  Unyanyembe,  however 
is  the  principal  district,  and  its  king,  Mkasiwa,  is 
generally  considered  to  be  the  most  important  per- 
son in  Unyamwezi.  The  other  kings  often  go  to  war 
against  him,  and  Mkasiwa  often  gets  the  worst  of  it ; 


220  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

as,  for  instance,  in  the  present  war  between  the  King 
of  Uyoweh  (Mirambo)  and  Mkasiwa. 

"All  this  vast  country  is  drained  by  two  rivers — 
the  Northern  and  Southern  Gombe,  which  empty 
into  the  Malagarazi  River,  and  thence  into  Lake 
Tanganyika.  On  the  east  Unyamwezi  is  bounded  by 
the  wilderness  of  Mgunda  Makali  and  Ukmibu,  on 
the  south  by  Urori  and  Ukonongo,  on  the  west  by 
Ukawendi  and  Uvniza,  on  the  north  by  several  small 
countries  and  the  Ukereweh  Lake.  Were  one  to 
ascend  by  a  balloon  and  scan  the  whole  of  Unyam- 
wezi he  would  have  a  view  of  one  great  forest, 
broken  here  and  there  by  the  little  clearings  around 
the  villages,  especially  in  and  around  Unyanyembe." 

On  account  of  troubles  in  the  country,  the  Search 
Expedition  was  detained  some  three  months  in  Kwi- 
hara.  Mr.  Stanley  lived  in  quite  a  large,  strong  house 
for  that  country,  consisting  of  a  main  room  and  bath- 
room, built  of  mud  about  three  feet  thick.  He  thus 
describes  "  the  daily  round"  : 

"  In  the  early  morning,  generally  about  half-past 
five  or  six  o'clock,  I  begin  to  stir  the  soldiers  up, 
sometimes  with  a  long  bamboo,  for  you  know  they 
are  such  hard  sleepers  they  require  a  good  deal  of 
poking.  Bombay  has  his  orders  given  him,  and 
Feragji,  the  cook,  who,  long  ago  warned  by  the  noise 
I  make  when  I  rouse  up,  is  told  in  unmistakable  tones 
to  bring  '  chai'  (tea),  for  I  am  like  an  old  woman,  I 
love  tea  very  much,  and  can  take  a  quart  and  a  half 
without  any  inconvenience.  Kalulu,  a  boy  of  seven, 
all  the  way  from  Cazembe's  country,  is  my  waiter  and 
chief  butler.     He  understands  my  ways  and  mod 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  22  i 

life  exactly.  Some  weeks  ago  he  ousted  Selim  from 
the  post  of  chief  butler  by  sheer  diligence  and 
smartness.  Selim,  the  Arab  boy,  cannot  wait  at  table. 
Kalulu — young  antelope — is  frisky.  I  have  but  to 
express  a  wish  and  it  is  gratified.  He  is  a  perfect 
Mercury,  though  a  marvellously  black  one.  Tea  over, 
Kalulu  clears  the  dishes  and  retires  under  the  kitchen 
shed,  where,  if  I  have  a  curiosity  to  know  what  he  is 
doing,  he  may  be  seen  with  his  tongue  in  the  tea 
cup  licking  up  the  sugar  that  was  left  in  it  and  look- 
ing very  much  as  if  he  would  like  to  eat  the  cup  for 
the  sake  of  the  divine  element  it  has  so  often  con- 
tained. If  I  have  any  calls  to  make  this  is  generally 
the  hour ;  if  there  are  none  to  make  I  go  on  the 
piazza  and  subside  quietly  on  my  bearskin  to  dream, 
may  be,  of  that  far  off  land  I  call  my  own,  or  to  gaze 
towards  Tabora,  the  Kaze  of  Burton  and  Speke, 
though  why  they  should  have  called  it  Kaze  as  yet  I 
have  not  been  able  to  find  out ;  or  to  look  towards 
lofty  Zimbili  and  wonder  why  the  Arabs,  at  such  a 
crisis  as  the  present,  do  not  remove  their  goods  and 
chattels  to  the  summit  of  that  natural  fortress.  But 
dreaming  and  wondering  and  thinkingand  marvelling 
are  too  hard  for  me ;  so  I  make  some  ethnological 
notes  and  polish  up  a  little  my  geographical  knowl- 
edge of  Central  Africa. 

"  I  have  to  greet  about  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  people  of  all  sorts  with  the  salutation  '  Yambo,' 
This  'Yambo'  is  a  great  word.  It  may  mean  '  How 
do  you  do  ?'  '  How  are  you  ?'  '  Thy  health  ?'  The 
answer  to  it  is  'Yambo!'  or  'Yambo  Sana!'  (How 
are  you ;  quite  well  ?)     The    Kinyamwezi — the  Ian- 


2  22  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

guage  of  the  Wanyamwezi — of  it  is  '  Moholo,'  and  the 
answer  is  '  Moholo.'  The  Arabs,  when  they  call,  if 
they  do  not  give  the  Arabic  '  Spal-kher,'  give  you  the 
greeting  '  Yambo ;'  and  I  have  to  say  '  Yambo.'  And, 
in  order  to  show  my  gratitude  to  them,  I  emphasize 
it  with  'Yambo  Sana!  Sana!  Sana?'  (Are  you 
well?  Quite  well,  quite,  quite  well?)  And  if  they  re- 
peat the  words  I  am  more  than  doubly  grateful,  and 
invite  them  to  a  seat  on  the  bearskin.  This  bearskin 
of  mine  is  the  evidence  of  my  respectability,  and  if 
we  are  short  of  common-place  topics  we  invariably 
refer  to  the  bearskin,  where  there  is  room  for  much 
discussion. 

"  Having  disposed  of  my  usual  number  of  \  Yambos' 
for  the  morning  I  begin  to  feel  '  peckish/  as  the  sea 
skipper  says,  and  Feragji,  the  cook,  and  youthful 
Kalulu,  the  chief  butler,  are  again  called  and  told  to 
bring  '  chukula' — food.  This  is  the  breakfast  put 
down  on  the  table  at  the  hour  of  ten  punctually  every 
morning: — Tea  (ugali)  a  native  porridge  made  out 
of  the  flour  of  dourra,  holcus  sorghum,  or  matama,  as 
it  is  called  here;  a  dish  of  rice  and  curry.  Unyan- 
yembe  is  famous  for  its  rice,  fried  goat's  meat,  stewed 
goat's  meat,  roast  goat's  meat,  a  dish  of  sweet  pota- 
toes, a  few  ■  slapjacks'  or  specimens  of  the  abortive 
efforts  of  Feragji  to  make  dampers  or  pancakes,  to 
be  eaten  with  honey.  But  neither  Feragji  s  culinary 
skill  nor  Kalulu's  readiness  to  wait  on  me  can  tempt 
me  to  eat.  I  have  long  ago  eschewed  food,  and  only 
drink  tea,  milk  and  yaourt — Turkish  word  for  '  clab- 
ber' or  clotted  milk. 

"After  breakfast  the  soldiers  are  called,  and  to- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  223 

gether  we  begin  to  pack  the  bales  of  cloth,  string 
beads  and  apportion  the  several  loads  which  the  es- 
cort must  carry  to  Ujiji  some  way  or  another.  Car- 
riers come  to  test  the  weight  of  the  loads  and 
to  inquire  about  the  inducements  offered  by  the 
'  Muzungu.'  The  inducements  are  in  the  shape  of  so 
many  pieces  of  cloth,  four  yards  long,  and  I  offered 
double  what  any  Arab  ever  offered.  Some  are  en- 
gaged at  once,  others  say  they  will  call  again,  but 
they  never  do,  and  it  is  of  no  use  to  expect  them 
when  there  is  war,  for  they  are  the  cowardliest  peo- 
ple under  the  sun. 

"  Since  we  are  going  to  make  forced  marches  I 
must  not  overload  my  armed  escort,  or  we  shall  be 
in  a  pretty  mess  two  or  three  days  after  we  start ; 
so  I  am  obliged  to  reduce  all  loads  by  twenty  pounds, 
to  examine  my  kit  and  personal  baggage  carefully, 
and  put  aside  anything  that  is  not  actually  and  press- 
ingly  needed ;  all  the  amunition  is  to  be  left  behind 
except  one  hundred  rounds  to  each  man.  No  one 
must  fire  a  shot  without  permission,  or  waste  his  am- 
munition in  any  way,  under  penalty  of  a  heavy  fine 
for  every  charge  of  powder  wasted.  These  things 
require  time  and  thought,  for  the  Herald  Expedi- 
tion has  a  long  and  far  journey  to  make.  It  intends 
to  take  a  new  road — a  road  with  which  few  Arabs 
are  acquainted — despite  all  that  Skeikh,  the  son  of 
Nasib,  can  say  against  the  project. 

"It  is  now  the  dinner  hour,  seven  P.  M.  Ferrajji 
has  spread  himself  out,  as  they  say.  He  has  all  sorts 
of  little  fixings  ready,  such  as  indigestible  dampers, 
the  everlasting  ngali,  or  porridge,  the  sweet  potatoes, 


224  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

chicken,  and  roast  quarter  of  a  goat ;  and  lastly,  a 
custard,  or  something  just  as  good,  made  out  of 
plantains.  At  eight  P.  M.  the  table  is  cleared,  the 
candles  are  lit,  pipes  are  brought  out,  and  Shaw,  my 
white  man  is  invited  to  talk.  But  poor  Shaw  is  sick 
and  has  not  a  grain  or  spirit  of  energy  left  in  him. 
All  I  can  do  or  say  does  not  cheer  him  up  in  the 
least.  He  hangs  down  his  head,  and  with  many  a 
sigh  declares  his  inability  to  proceed  with  me  to 
Ujiji." 

On  the  15th  of  July,  war  was  declared  between 
Mirambo  and  the  Arabs.  In  this  war,  it  will  be  re- 
collected, Mr.  Stanley  with  his  men  took  part.  The 
result  was  disaster,  ensuing  from  Mirambo's  strata- 
gem, as  so  graphically  related  in  the  cable  telegram. 
The  continuation  of  this  war  is  thus  described : 

"  Mirambo,  with  one  thousand  guns,  and  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  Watudas,  his  allies,  invaded  Un- 
yanyembe,  and  pitched  their  camp  insolently  within 
view  of  the  Arab  capital  of  Tabora.  Tabora  is  a 
large  collection  of  Arab  settlements,  or  tembes,  as 
they  are  called  here.  Each  Arab  house  is  isolated 
by  the  fence  which  surrounds  it.  Not  one  is  more 
than  two  hundred  yards  off  from  the  other,  and  each 
has  its  own  name,  known,  however,  to  but  few  out- 
siders. South  by  west  from  Tabora,  at  the  distance 
of  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  in  view  of  Tarbora  is  Kwi- 
hara,  where  the  Herald  expedition  has  its  quarters. 
Kwihara  is  a  Kinyamwezi  word,  meaning  the  middle 
of  the  cultivation.  There  is  quite  a  large  settlement 
of  Arabs  here — second  only  to  Tabora.  Rut  it  was 
Tabora  aad   not   Kwihara  that   Mirambo,  his  forest 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  225 

thieves  and  the  Watula  came  to  attack.  Khamis  bin 
Abdallah,  the  bravest  Trojan  of  them  all — of  all  the 
Arabs — went  out  to  meet  Mirambo  with  eighty  armed 
slaves  and  five  Arabs,  one  of  whom  was  his  little  son, 
Khamis.  As  Khamis  bin  Abdallah's  party  came  in 
sight  of  Mirambo's  people  Khamis'  slaves  deserted 
him,  and  Mirambo  then  gave  the  order  to  surround 
the  Arabs  and  press  on  them.  This  little  group  in 
this  manner  became  the  targets  for  about  one  thou- 
sand guns,  and  of  course  in  a  second  or  so  were  all 
dead — not,  however,  without  having  exhibited  re- 
markable traits  of  character. 

"They  had  barely  died  before  the  medicine  men  came 
up,  and  with  their  scalpels  had  skinned  their  faces  and 
their  abdominal  portions,  and  had  extracted  what  they 
call  'mafuta,'  or  fat,  and  their  genital  organs.  With  this 
matter  which  they  had  extracted  from  the  dead  bod- 
ies the  native  doctors  or  waganga  made  a  powerful 
medicine,  by  boiling  it  in  large  earthen  pots  for  many 
hours,  with  many  incantations  and  shakings  of  the 
wonderful  gourd  that  was  only  filled  with  pebbles. 
This  medicine  was  drunk  that  evening  with  great 
ceremony,  with  dances,  drum  beating  and  general 
fervor  of  heart. 

"Khamis  bin  Abdallah  dead,  Mirambo  gave  his  orders 
to  plunder,  kill,  burn,  and  destroy,  and  they  went  at 
it  with  a  will.  When  I  saw  the  fugitives  from  Tabo- 
ra  coming  by  the  hundred  to  our  quiet  valley  of 
Kwihara,  I  began  to  think  the  matter  serious  and 
began  my  operations  for  defence.  First  of  all,  how- 
ever, a  lofty  bamboo  pole  was  procured  and  planted 
on  the  roof  ot  our  fortlet,  and  the  American  flag  was 


2  26  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

run  up,  where  it  waved  joyously  and  grandly,  an  omen 
to  all  fugitives  and  their  hunters. 

"  All  nieht  we  stood  ooiard  ;  the  suburbs  of  Tabora 
were  in  flames ;  all  the  Wanyamwezi  and  Wanguana 
houses  were  destroyed,  and  the  fine  house  of  Abid 
bin  Sulemian  had  been  ransacked  and  then  commit- 
ted to  the  flames,  and  Mirambo  boasted  that  'to-mor- 
row' Kwihara  should  share  the  fate  of  Tabora,  and 
there  was  a  rumor  that  that  night  the  Arabs  were 
going  to  start  for  the  coast.  But  the  morning  came, 
and  Mirambo  departed  with  the  ivory  and  cattle  he 
had  captured,  and  the  people  of  Kwihara  and  Ta- 
bora breathed  freer. 

"And  now  I  am  going  to  say  farewell  to  Unyan- 
yembe  for  a  while.  I  shall  never  help  an  Arab  again. 
He  is  no  fighting  man,  or  I  should  say,  does  not 
know  how  to  fight,  but  knows  personally  how  to  die. 
They  will  not  conquer  Mirambo  within  a  year,  and  I 
cannot  stop  to  see  that  play  out.  There  is  a  good 
old  man  waiting  for  me  somewhere,  and  that  impels 
me  on.  There  is  a  journal  afar  off  which  expects  me 
to  do  my  duty,  and  I  must  do  it.  Goodby ;  I  am  off 
the  day  after  to-morrow  for  Ujiji ;  then,  perhaps,  the 
Congo  River." 

After  this  followed  a  number  of  telegrams  to  the 
"  Herald"  from  the  expedition,  but  their  substance 
has  been  given  in  what  has  preceded,  to  show  the 
general  outline  of  explorations  up  to  the  time  of  the 
meeting  of  Livingstone  and  Stanley  at  Ujiji.  There 
are,  however,  but  few  accounts  of  travel  more  inter- 
esting and  valuable  than  the  letter  to  the  "  Herald" 
narrating  the  events  of    the  journey   from   Unyan- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  22/ 

yembe  to  Ujiji,  and  the  meeting  with  Livingstone. 
The  greater  portion  of  this  remarkable  narrative  is 
appended: 

"Bunder,  Ujiji,  on  Lake  Tanganyika,      ) 
"Central  Africa,  November  23,  1871.  ) 

"  Only  two  months  gone,  and  what  a  change  in  my 
feelings  !  But  two  months  ago,  what  a  peevish,  fret- 
ful soul  was  mine !  What  a  hopeless  prospect  pre- 
sented itself  before  your  correspondent !  Arabs 
vowing  that  I  would  never  behold  the  Tanganyika; 
Sheikh,  the  son  of  Nasib,  declaring  me  a  madman  to 
his  fellows  because  I  would  not  heed  his  words. 
My  men  deserting,  my  servants  whining  day  by 
day,  and  my  white  man  endeavoring  to  impress  me 
with  the  belief  that  we  were  all  doomed  men  !  And 
the  only  answer  to  it  all  is,  Livingstone,  the  hero 
traveller,  is  alongside  of  me,  writing  as  hard  as  he 
can  to  his  friends  in  England,  India,  and  America, 
and  I  am  quite  safe  and  sound  in  health  and  limb. 

"  September  23  I  left  Unyanyembe,  driving  before 
me  fifty  well-armed  black  men,  loaded  with  the  goods 
of  the  expedition,  and  dragging  after  me  one  white 
man.  Once  away  from  the  hateful  valley  of  Kwihara, 
my  enthusiasm  for  my  work  rose  as  newborn  as  when 
I  left  the  coast.  But  my  enthusiasm  was  shortlived, 
for  before  reaching  camp  I  was  almost  delirious  with 
fever.  When  I  had  arrived,  burning  with  fever,  my 
pulse  bounding  many  degrees  too  fast  and  my  temper 
made  more  acrimonious  by  my  sufferings,  I  found  the 
camp  almost  deserted.  The  men  as  soon  as  they  had 
arrived  at  Mkwenkwe,  the  village  agreed  upon,  had 
hurried  back  to  Kwihara.     Livingstone's  letter-carrier 


2  28  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

had  not  made  his  appearance — it  was  an  abandoned 
camp.  I  instantly  dispatched  six  of  the  best  of  those 
who  had  refused  to  return  to  ask  Sheikh,  the  son  of 
Nasib,  to  lend  or  sell  me  the  longest  slave  chain  he 
had,  then  to  hunt  up  the  runaways  and  bring  them 
back  to  camp  bound,  and  promised  them  that  for 
every  head  captured  they  should  have  a  bran  new 
cloth. 

"  Next  morning  fourteen  out  of  twenty  of  those 
who  had  deserted  back  to  their  wives  and  huts  (as 
is  generally  the  custom)  had  reappeared,  and,  as  the 
fever  had  left  me,  I  only  lectured  them,  and  they 
gave  me  their  promise  not  to  desert  me  again  under 
any  circumstances.  Livingstone's  messenger  had 
passed  the  night  in  bonds,  because  he  had  resolutely 
refused  to  come.  I  unloosed  him  and  gave  him  a 
paternal  lecture,  painting  in  glowing  colors  the  bene- 
fits he  would  receive  if  he  came  along  quietly  and 
the  horrible  punishment  of  being  chained  up  until  I 
reached  Ujiji  if  he  was  still  resolved  not  to  come. 
1  Kaif  Halleck'  Arabic  for  '  How  do  you  do  ?'  melted, 
and  readily  gave  me  his  promise  to  come  and  obey 
me  as  he  would  his  own  master — Livingstone — until 
we  should  see  him, 'which  Inshallah  we  shall  !  Please 
God,  please  God,  we  shall,'  I  replied,  •  and  you  will 
be  no  loser.'  During  the  day  my  soldiers  had  cap- 
tured the  others,  and  as  they  all  promised  obedience 
and  fidelity  in  future,  they  escaped  punishment. 

"  It  is  possible  for  any  of  your  readers  so  disposed 
to  construct  a  map  of  the  road  on  which  the  'Her- 
ald' expedition  was  now  journeying,  if  they  draw  a 
line  150  miles  long  south  by  west  from  Unyanyembe, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  229 

then  150  miles  west  northwest,  then  ninety  miles 
north,  half  east,  then  seventy  miles  west  by  north, 
and  that  will  take  them  to  Ujiji. 

"  We  were  about  entering  the  immense  forest  that 
separates  Unyanyembe  from  the  district  of  Ugunda. 
In  lengthy  undulating  waves  the  land  stretches  be- 
fore us — the  new  land  which  no  European  knew,  the 
unknown,  mystic  land.  The  view  which  the  eyes 
hurry  to  embrace  as  we  ascend  some  ridge  higher 
than  another  is  one  of  the  most  disheartening  that 
can  be  conceived.  Away,  one  beyond  another,  wave 
the  lengthy  rectilinear  ridges,  clad  in  the  same  garb 
of  color.  Woods,  woods,  woods,  forests,  leafy 
branches,  green  and  sere,  yellow  and  dark  red  and 
purple,  then  an  indefinable  ocean,  bluer  than  the  blue- 
est  sky.  The  horizon  all  around  shows  the  same 
scene — a  sky  dropping  into  the  depths  of  the  endless 
forest,  with  but  two  or  three  tall  giants  of  the  forest 
higher  than  their  neighbors,  which  are  conspicuous  in 
their  outlines,  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  scene. 
On  no  one  point  do  our  eyes  rest  with  pleasure ;  they 
have  viewed  the  same  outlines,  the  same  forest  and 
the  same  horizon  day  after  day,  week  after  week ; 
and  again,  like  Noah's  dove  from  wandering  over  a 
world  without  a  halting  place,  return  wearied  with  the 
search. 

"It  takes  seven  hours  to  traverse  the  forest  be- 
tween Kigandu  and  Ugunda,  when  we  come  to  the 
capital  of  the  new  district,  wherein  one  may  laugh  at 
Mirambo  and  his  forest  thieves.  At  least  the  Sultan, 
or  Lord  of  Ugunda,  feels  in  a  laughing  mood  while 
in  his  strong  stockade,  should  one  but  hint  to   him 


23O  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

that  Mirambo  might  come  to  settle  up  the  long  debt 
that  Chieftain  owes  him,  for  defeating  him  the  last 
time — a  year  ago — he  attempted  to  storm  his  place. 
And  well  may  the  Sultan  laugh  at  him,  and  all  others 
which  the  hospitable  Chief  may  permit  to  reside 
within,  for  it  is  the  strongest  place — except  Simba- 
Moeni  and  Kwikuru,  in  Unyanyembe — I  have  as  yet 
seen  in  Africa.  Having  arrived  safely  at  Ugunda  we 
may  now  proceed  on  our  journey  fearless  of  Mirambo, 
though  he  has  attacked  places  four  days  south  of 
this ;  but  as  he  has  already  at  a  former  time  felt  the 
power  of  the  Wanyamwezi  of  Ugunda,  he  will  not 
venture  again  in  a  hurry.  On  the  sixth  day  of  our 
departure  from  Unyanyembe  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney south.  Three  long  marches,  under  a  hot  sun, 
through  jungly  plains,  heat-cracked  expanses  of 
prairie  land,  through  young  forests,  haunted  by  the 
tsetse  and  sword  flies,  considered  fatal  to  cattle, 
brought  us  to  the  gates  of  a  village  called  Manyara, 
whose  chief  was  determined  not  to  let  us  in  nor  sell 
us  a  grain  of  corn,  because  he  had  never  seen  a  white 
man  before,  and  he  must  know  all  about  this  wonder- 
ful specimen  of  humanity  before  he  would  allow  us 
to  pass  through  his  country.  Having  arrived  at  the 
khambi,  or  camp,  I  despatched  Bombay  with  a  pro- 
pitiating gift  of  cloth  to  the  Chief — a  gift  at  once  so 
handsome  and  so  munificent,  consisting  of  no  less 
than  two  royal  cloths  and  three  common  dotis,  that 
the  Chief  surrendered  at  once,  declaring  that  the 
white  man  was  a  superior  being  to  any  he  had  ever 
seen.  'Surely/  said  he,  'he  must  have  a  friend; 
otherwise  how  came  he  to  send  me  such  fine  cloths  ? 


Mr.  Stanley,  his  Boy  Kalulu,  and  the  Interpreter,  Selim. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  233 

Tell  the  white  man  that  I  shall  come  and  see  him. 
Permission  was  at  once  given  to  his  people  to  sell  us 
as  much  corn  as  we  needed.  We  had  barely  finished 
distributing  five  days'  rations  to  each  man  when  the 
Chief  was  announced. 

"  Gunbearers,  twenty  in  number,  preceded  him,  and 
thirty  spearmen  followed  him,  and  behind  these  came 
eight  or  ten  men  loaded  with  gifts  of  honey,  native 
beer,  holcus  sorghum,  beans,  and  maize.  I  at  once 
advanced  and  invited  the  Chief  to  my  tent,  which  had 
undergone  some  alterations,  that  I  might  honor  him 
as  much  as  lay  in  my  power.  Ma-manyara  was  a  tall, 
stalwart  man,  with  a  very  pleasing  face.  He  carried 
in  his  hand  a  couple  of  spears,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  well-worn  barsati  around  his  loins,  he  was 
naked.  Three  of  his  principal  men  and  himself  were 
invited  to  seat  themselves  on  my  Persian  carpet.  The 
revolvers  and  Winchester's  repeating  rifles  were 
things  so  wonderful  that  to  attempt  to  give  you  any 
idea  of  how  awe-struck  he  and  his  men  were  would 
task  my  powers.  My  medicine  chest  was  opened 
next,  and  I  uncorked  a  small  phial  of  medicinal  brandy 
and  gave  each  a  teaspoonful.  Suffice  it  that  I  made 
myself  so  popular  with  Ma-manyara  and  his  people 
that  they  will  not  forget  me  in  a  hurry. 

"  Leaving  kind  and  hospitable  Ma-manyara,  after  a 
four  hours'  march  we  came  to  the  banks  of  the 
Gombe  Nullah,  not  the  one  which  Burton,  Speke,  and 
Grant  have  described,  for  the  Gombe  which  I  mean 
is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  south  of 
the  Northern  Gombe.  The  glorious  park  land  spread- 
ing out  north  and  south  of  the  Southern  Gombe  is  a 
14 


234  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

hunter's  paradise.  It  is  full  of  game  of  all  kinds — 
herds  of  buffalo,  giraffe,  zebra,  pallah,  water  buck, 
springbok,  gemsbok,  blackbuck,  and  kudu,  besides 
several  eland,  warthog,  or  wild  boar,  and  hundreds  of 
the  smaller  antelope.  We  saw  all  these  in  one  day, 
and  at  nieht  heard  the  lions  roar  and  the  low  of  the 
hippopotamus.  I  halted  here  three  days  to  shoot, 
and  there  is  no  occasion  to  boast  of  what  I  shot,  con- 
sidering the  myriads  of  game  I  saw  at  every  step  I 
took.  Not  half  the  animals  shot  here  by  myself  and 
men  were  made  use  of.  Two  buffaloes  and  one  kudu 
were  brought  to  camp  the  first  day,  besides  a  wild 
boar,  which  my  mess  finished  up  in  one  night.  My 
boy  gun-bearers  sat  up  the  whole  night  eating  boar 
meat,  and  until  I  went;  to  sleep  I  could  hear  the  buf- 
falo meat  sizzing  over  the  fires  as  the  Islamized  sol- 
diers prepared  it  for  the  road. 

"From  Manyara  to  Marefu,  in  Ukonongo,  are  five 
days'  marches.  It  is  an  uninhabited  forest  now,  and 
is  about  eighty  miles  in  length.  Clumps  of  forest 
and  dense  islets  of  jungle  dot  plains  which  separate 
the  forests  proper.  It  is  monotonous  owing  to  the 
sameness  of  the  scenes.  And  throughout  this  length 
of  eighty  miles  there  is  nothing  to  catch  a  man's  eye 
in  search  of  the  picturesque  or  novel  save  the  Gombe's 
pools,  with  their  amphibious  inhabitants,  and  the  va- 
riety of  noble  game  which  inhabit  the  forests  and 
plain.  A  travelling  band  of  Wakonongo,  bound  to 
Ukonongo  from  Manyara,  prayed  to  have  our  escort, 
which  was  readily  granted.  They  were  famous 
foresters,  who  knew  the  various  fruits  fit  to  eat ;  who 
knew  the  cry  of  the  honey-bird,  and  could  follow  it  to 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  235 

the  treasure  of  honey  which  it  wished  to  show  its  hu- 
man friends.  It  is  a  pretty  bird,  not  much  larger  than 
a  wren,  and,  'tweet-tweet,'  it  immediately  cries  when 
it  sees  a  human  being.  It  becomes  very  busy  all  at 
once,  hops  and  skips,  and  flies  from  branch  to  branch 
with  marvellous  celerity.  The  traveller  lifts  up  his 
eyes,  beholds  the  tiny  little  bird,  hopping  about,  and 
hears  its*  sweet  call — '  tweet-tweet-tweet.'  If  he  is  a 
Makonongo  he  follows  it.  Away  flies  the  bird  on  to 
another  tree,  springs  to  another  branch  nearer  to  the 
lagging  man  as  if  to  say,  '  Shall  I,  must  I  come  and 
fetch  you  ?'  but  assured  by  his  advance,  away  again 
to  another  tree,  coquets  about,  and  tweets  his  call 
rapidly  ;  sometimes  more  earnest  and  loud,  as  if  chid- 
ing him  for  being  so  slow ;  then  off  again,  until  at  last 
the  treasure  is  found  and  secured.  And  as  he  is  a 
very  busy  little  bird,  while  the  man  secures  his  treas- 
ure of  honey,  he  plumes  himself,  ready  for  another 
flight  and  to  discover  another  treasure.  Every  even- 
ing the  Makonongo  brought  us  stores  of  beautiful  red 
and  white  honey,  which  is  only  to  be  secured  in  the 
dry  season.  Over  pancakes  and  fritters  the  honey  is 
very  excellent ;  but  it  is  apt  to  disturb  the  stomach. 
I  seldom  rejoiced  in  its  sweetness  without  suffering 
some  indisposition  afterwards. 

"  Arriving  at  Marefu,  we  overtook  an  embassy  from 
the  Arabs  at  Unyanyembe  to  the  Chief  of  the  fero- 
cious Watuta,  who  live  a  month's  march  southwest 
of  this  frontier  village  of  Ukonongo.  Old  Hassan, 
the  Mseguhha,  was  the  person  who  held  the  honor- 
able post  of  Chief  of  the  embassy,  who  had  volun- 
teered to  conduct  the  negotiations  which  were  to  se- 


236  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

cure  the  Watutas  services  against  Mirambo,  the 
dreaded  Chief  of  Uyoweh.  Assured  by  the  Arabs 
that  there  was  no  danger,  and  having  received  the 
sum  of  forty  dollars  for  his  services,  he  had  gone  on, 
sanguine  of  success,  and  had  arrived  at  Marefu,  where 
we  overtook  him. 

"  We  left  old  Hassan  the  next  day,  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  of  the  expedition,  feeling  mu,ch  hap- 
pier than  we  had  felt  for  many  a  day.  Desertions 
had  now  ceased,  and  there  remained  in  chains  but 
one  incorrigible,  whom  I  had  apprehended  twice  after 
twice  deserting.  Bombay  and  his  sympathizers  were 
now  beginning  to  perceive  that  after  all  there  was 
not  much  danger — at  least  not  as  much  as  the  Arabs 
desired  us  to  believe — and  he  was  heard  expressing 
his  belief  in  his  broken  English  that  I  would  '  catch 
the  Tanganyika  after  all/  and  the  standing  joke  was 
now  that  we  could  smell  the  fish  of  the  Tanganyika 
Lake,  and  that  we  could  not  be  far  from  it.  New 
scenes  also  met  the  eye.  Here  and  there  were  up- 
heaved above  the  tree  tops  sugar-loaf  hills,  and, 
darkly  blue,  west  of  us  loomed  up  a  noble  ridge  of 
hills  which  formed  the  boundary  between  Kamir- 
ambo's  territory  and  that  of  Utende.  Elephant 
tracks  became  numerous,  and  buffalo  met  the  delight- 
ed eyes  everywhere.  Crossing  the  mountainous  ridge 
of  Mwaru,  with  its  lengthy  slope  slowly  descending 
westward,  the  vegetation  became  more  varied  and 
the  outlines  of  the  land  before  us  became  more  pic- 
turesque. We  became  sated  with  the  varieties  of 
novel  fruit  which  we  saw  hanging  thickly  on  trees. 
There  was  the  mbembu,  with   the  taste  of  an  over 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  237 

ripe  peach ;  the  tamarind  pod  and  beans,  with  their 
grateful  acidity,  resembling  somewhat  the  lemon  in 
its  flavor.  The  matonga,  or  nux  vomica,  was  wel- 
come, and  the  lucious  singwe,  the  plum  of  Africa, 
was  the  most  delicious  of  all.  There  were  wild  plums 
like  our  own,  and  grapes  unpicked  long  past  their 
season,  and  beyond  eating.  Guinea  fowls,  the  moor- 
hen, ptarmigans  and  ducks  supplied  our  table ;  and 
often  the  lump  of  a  buffalo  or  an  extravagant  piece 
of  venison  filled  our  camp  kettles.  My  health  was 
firmly  established.  The  faster  we  prosecuted  our 
journey  the  better  I  felt.  I  had  long  bidden  adieu 
to  the  nauseous  calomel  and  rhubarb  compounds,  and 
had  become  quite  a  stranger  to  quinine.  There  was 
only  one  drawback  to  it  all,  and  that  was  the  feeble 
health  of  the  Arab  boy  Selim,  who  was  suffering  from 
an  attack  of  acute  dysentery,  caused  by  inordinate 
drinking  of  the  bad  water  of  the  pools  at  which  we 
had  camped  between  Manyara  and  Mrera.  But  ju- 
dicious attendance  and  Dover's  powders  brought  the 
boy  round  again. 

"  Mrera,  in  Ukonongo,  nine  days  southwest  of  the 
Gombe  Mellah,  brought  to  our  minds  the  jungle 
habitats  of  the  Wawkwere  on  the  coast,  and  an  omi- 
nous sight  to  travellers  were  the  bleached  skulls  of 
men  which  adorned  the  tops  of  tall  poles  before  the 
gates  of  the  village.  The  Sultan  of  Mrera  and  my- 
self became  fast  friends  after  he  had  tasted  of  my 
liberality. 

"  After  a  halt  of  three  days  at  this  village,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Arab  boy,  we  proceeded  westerly,  with 
the  understanding  that  we  should  behold  the  waters 


238  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

of  the  Tanganyika  within  ten  days.  Traversing  a  dense 
forest  of  young  trees,  we  came  to  a  plain  dotted  with 
scores  of  ant  hills.  Their  uniform  height  (about  seven 
feet  high  above  the  plain)  leads  me  to  believe  that 
they  were  constructed  during  an  unusually  wet  sea- 
son, and  when  the  country  was  inundated  for  a  long 
time  in  consequence.  The  surface  of  the  plain  also 
bore  the  appearance  of  being  subject  to  such  inun- 
dations. Beyond  this  plain  about  four  miles  we  came 
to  a  running  stream  of  purest  water — a  most  welcome 
sight  after  so  many  months  spent  by  brackish  pools 
and  nauseous  swamps.  Crossing  the  stream,  which 
ran  northwest,  we  immediately  ascended  a  steep  and 
lofty  ridge,  whence  we  obtained  a  view  of  grand  and 
imposing  mountains,  of  isolated  hills,  rising  sheer  to 
great  heights  from  a  plain  stretching  far  into  the 
heart  of  Ufipa,  cut  up  by  numerous  streams  flowing 
into  the  Rungwa  River,  which  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son overflows  this  plain  and  forms  the  lagoon  set 
down  by  Speke  as  the  Rikwa.  We  continued  still 
westward,  crossing  many  a  broad  stretch  of  marsh 
and  oozy  bed  of  mellahs,  whence  rose  the  streams 
that  formed  the  Rungwa  some  forty  miles  south. 

"  At  a  camping  place  beyond  Mrera  we  heard 
enough  from  some  natives  who  visited  us  to  assure 
us  that  we  were  rushing  to  our  destruction  if  we  still 
kept  westward.  After  receiving  hints  of  how  to 
evade  the  war-stricken  country  in  our  front,  we  took 
a  road  leading  north-northwest.  While  continuing 
on  this  course  we  crossed  streams  running  to  the 
Rungwa  south  and  others  running  directly  north  to 
the  Malagarazi,  from  either  side  of  a  lengthy  ridge 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  2^q 

which  served  to  separate  the  country  of  Unyamwezi 
from  Ukawendi.  We  were  also  attracted  for  the 
first  time  by  the  lofty  and  tapering  moule  tree,  used 
on  the  Tanganyika  Lake  for  the  canoes  of  the  na- 
tives, who  dwell  on  its  shores.  The  banks  of  the 
numerous  streams  are  lined  with  dense  growths  of 
these  shapely  trees,  as  well  as  of  sycamore,  and  gi- 
gantic tamarinds,  which  rivalled  the  largest  sycamore 
in  their  breadth  of  shade.  The  undergrowth  of 
bushes  and  tall  grass,  dense  and  impenetrable,  likely 
resorts  of  leopard  and  lion  and  wild  boar  were  enough 
to  appal  the  stoutest  heart.  One  of  my  donkeys 
while  being  driven  to  water  along  a  narrow  path, 
hedged  by  the  awesome  brake  on  either  side,  was  at- 
tacked by  a  leopard,  which  fastened  its  fangs  in  the 
poor  animal's  neck,  and  it  would  have  made  short 
work  of  it  had  not  its  companions  set  up  such  a  bray- 
ing- chorus  as  might  well  have  terrified  a  score  of 
leopards.  And  that  same  night,  while  encamped 
contiguous  to  that  limpid  stream  of  Mtambu,  with 
that  lofty  line  of  enormous  trees  rising  dark  and 
awful  above  us,  the  lions  issued  from  the  brakes  be- 
neath and  prowled  about  the  well-set  bush  defence  of 
our  camp,  venting  their  fearful  clamor  without  inter- 
mission until  morning. 

"  Our  camps  by  these  thick  belts  of  timber,  peo- 
pled as  they  were  with  wild  beasts,  my  men  never 
fancied.  But  Southern  Ukawendi,  with  its  fair,  lovely 
valleys  and  pellucid  streams  nourishing  vegetation  to 
extravagant  growth,  density  and  height,  is  infested 
with  troubles  of  this  kind.  And  it  is  probable,  from 
the  spread  of  this  report  among  the  natives,  that  this 


24O  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

is  the  cause  of  the  scant  population  of  one  of  the 
loveliest  countries  Africa  can  boast.  The  fairest  of 
California  scenery  cannot  excel,  though  it  may  equal, 
such  scenes  as  Ukawendi  can  boast  of,  and  yet  a 
land  as  large  as  the  State  of  New  York  is  almost  un- 
inhabited. Days  and  days  one  may  travel  through 
primeval  forests,  now  ascending  ridges  overlooking 
broad,  well  watered  valleys,  with  belts  of  valuable 
timber  crowning  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and  behold 
exquisite  bits  of  scenery — wild,  fantastic,  picturesque 
and  pretty — all  within  the  scope  of  vision  whichever 
way  one  may  turn.  And  to  crOwn  the  glories  of  this 
lovely  portion  of  earth,  underneath  the  surface  but  a 
few  feet  is  one  mass  of  iron  ore,  extending  across 
three  degrees  of  longitude  and  nearly  four  of  latitude, 
cropping  out  at  intervals,  so  that  the  traveller  cannot 
remain  ignorant  of  the  wealth  lying  beneath. 

"  What  wild  and  ambitious  projects  fill  a  man's 
brain  as  he  looks  over  the  forgotten  and  unpeopled 
country,  containing  in  its  bosom  such  store  of  wealth, 
and  with  such  an  expanse  of  fertile  soil,  capable  of 
sustaining  millions!  What  a  settlement  one  could 
have  in  this  valley !  See,  it  is  broad  enough  to  sup- 
port a  large  population  !  Fancy  a  church  spire  rising 
where  that  tamarind  rears  its  dark  cro^vn  of  foliage, 
and  think  how  well  a  score  or  so  of  pretty  cottages 
would  look  instead  of  those  thorn  clumps  and  gum 
trees  !  Fancy  this  lovely  valley  teeming  with  herds 
of  cattle  and  fields  of  corn,  spreading  to  the  right 
and  left  of  this  stream  !  How  much  better  would 
such  a  state  become  this  valley,  rather  than  its  pres- 
ent deserted  and  wild  aspect !     But  be  hopeful.    The 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  24I 

day  will  come  and  a  future  year  will  see  it,  when  hap- 
pier lands  have  become  crowded  and  nations  have  be- 
come so  overgrown  that  they  have  no  room  to  turn 
about.  It  only  needs  an  Abraham  or  a  Lot,  an 
Alaric  or  an  Attila  to  lead  their  hosts  to  this  land, 
which,  perhaps,  has  been  wisely  reserved  for  such  a 
time. 

"  After  the  warning  so  kindly  given  by  the  natives 
soon  after  leaving  Mrera,  in  Ukonongo,  five  days' 
marches  brought  us  to  Mrera,  in  the  district  of  Rus- 
awa,  in  Ukawendi.  Arriving  here,  we  questioned  the 
natives  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue — should  we 
make  direct  for  the  Tanganyika  or  go  north  to  the 
Malagarazi  River?  They  advised  us  to  the  latter 
course,  though  no  Arab  had  ever  taken  it.  Two  days 
through  the  forest,  they  said,  would  enable  us  to 
reach  the  Malagarazi.  The  guide,  who  had  by  this 
forgotten  our  disagreement,  endorsed  this  opinion,  as 
beyond  the  Malagarazi  he  was  sufficiently  qualified 
to  show  the  way.  We  laid  in  a  stock  of  four  days' 
provisions  against  contingencies,  and  bidding  farewell 
to  the  hospitable  people  of  Rusawa,  continued  our 
journey  northward. 

"  The  scenery  was  getting  more  sublime  every  day 
as  we  advanced  northward,  even  approaching  the 
terrible.  We  seemed  to  have  left  the  monotony  of 
a  desert  for  the  wild,  picturesque  scenery  of  Abys- 
sinia and  the  terrible  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Neva- 
das.  I  named  one  tabular  mountain,  which  recalled 
memories  of  the  Abyssinian  campaign,  Magdala,  and 
as  I  gave  it  a  place  on  my  chart  it  became  of  great 
use  to  me,  as  it  rose  so  prominently  into  view  that  I 


242  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

was  enabled  to  lay  down  our  route  pretty  accurately. 
The  four  days'  provisions  we  had  taken  with  us  were 
soon  consumed,  and  still  we  were  far  from  the  Mala- 
garazi  River.  Though  we  eked  out  my  own  stores 
with  great  care,  as  shipwrecked  men  at  sea,  these  also 
gave  out  on  the  sixth  day,  and  still  the  Malagarazi 
was  not  in  sight.  The  country  was  getting  more  dif- 
ficult for  travel,  owing  to  the  numerous  ascents  and 
descents  we  had  to  make  in  the  course  of  a  day's 
march.  Bleached  and  bare,  it  was  cut  up  by  a  thou- 
sand deep  ravines  and  intersected  by  a  thousand  dry 
water  courses  whose  beds  were  filled  with  immense 
sandstone  rocks  and  boulders  washed  away  from  the 
great  heights  which  rose  above  us  on  every  side.  We 
were  not  protected  now  by  the  shades  of  the  forest, 
and  the  heat  became  excessive  and  water  became 
scarce.  But  we  still  held  on  our  way,  hoping  that 
each  day's  march  would  bring  us  in  sight  of  the  long- 
looked-for  and  much-desired  Malagarazi.  Fortunately 
we  had  filled  our  baes  and  baskets  with  the  forest 
peaches  with  which  the  forests  of  Rusawa  had  sup- 
plied us,  and  these  sustained  us  in  this  extremity. 

"  Proceeding  on  our  road  on  the  eighth  day  every 
thing  we  saw  tended  to  confirm  us  in  the  belief  that 
food  was  at  hand.  After  travelling  two  hours,  still 
descending  rapidly  towards  a  deep  basin  which  we 
saw,  the  foremost  of  the  expedition  halted,  attracted 
by  the  sight  of  a  village  situated  on  a  table-topped 
mountain  on  our  right.  The  guide  told  us  it  must  be 
that  of  the  son  of  Nzogera,  of  Uvinza.  We  fol- 
lowed a  road  leading  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and 
camped  on  the  edge  of  an  extensive  morass.    Though 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  243 

we  fired  guns  to  announce  our  .Arrival,  it  was  unneces- 
sary, for  the  people  were  already  hurrying  to  our 
camps  to  inquire  about  our  intentions.  The  explan- 
ation was  satisfactory,  but  they  said  that  they  had 
taken  us  to  be  enemies,  few  friends  having  ever  come 
along  our  road.  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  an 
abundance  of  meat  and  grain  in  the  camp,  and  the 
men's  jaws  were  busy  in  the  process  of  mastication. 
"  During  the  whole  of  the  afternoon  we  were  en- 
gaged upon  the  terms  Nzogera's  son  exacted  for  the 
privilege  of  passing  through  his  country.  We  found 
him  to  be  the  first  of  a  tribute-taking  tribe  which 
subsequently  made  much  havoc  in  the  bales  of  the 
expedition.  Seven  and  a  half  doti  of  cloth  were 
what  we  were  compelled  to  pay,  whether  we  returned 
or  proceeded  on  our  way.  .  After'a  day's  halt  we  pro- 
ceeded under  the  guidance  of  two  men  granted  to  me 
as  qualified  to  show  the  way  to  the  Malagarazi 
River.  We  had  to  go  east-northeast  for  a  consider- 
able time  in  order  to  avoid  the  morass  that  lay  di- 
rectly across  the  country  that  intervened  between  the 
triangular  mountain  on  whose  top  Nzogera's  son 
dwelt.  This  marsh  drains  three  extensive  ranges  of 
mountains  which,  starting  from  the  westward,  separ- 
ated only  by  two  deep  chasms  from  each  other,  run 
at  wide  angles — one  southeast,  one  northeast,  and 
the  other  northwest.  From  a  distance  this  marsh 
looks  fair  enough;  stately  trees  at  intervals  rise 
seemingly  from  its  bosom,  and  between  them  one 
catches  glimpses  of  a  lovely  champaign,  bounded  by 
perpendicular  mountains,  in  the  far  distance.  After 
a  wide  detour  we  struck  straight  for  this  marsh,  which 


244  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

presented  to  us  another  novelty   in  the  watershed  of 
the  Tanganyika. 

"Fancy  a  river  broad  as  the  Hudson  at  Albany, 
though  not  near  so  deep  or  swift,  covered  over  by 
water  plants  and  grasses,  which  had  become  so  inter- 
woven and  netted  together  as  to  form  a  bridge 
covering  its  entire  length  and  breadth,  under  which 
the  river  flowed  calm  and  deep  below.  It  was  over 
this  natural  bridge  we  were  expected  to  cross.  Add- 
ing to  the  tremor  which  one  naturally  felt  at  having 
to  cross  this  frail  bridge  was  the  tradition  that  only 
a  few  yards  higher  up  an  Arab  and  his  donkey,  thirty- 
five  slaves  and  sixteen  tusks  of  ivory  had  suddenly 
sunk  forever  out  of  sight.  As  one-half  of  our  little 
column  had  already  arrived  at  the  centre,  we  on  the 
shore  could  see  the  network  of  grass  waving  on 
either  side,  in  one  place  like  to  the  swell  of  a  sea  af- 
ter a  storm,  and  in  another  like  a  small  lake  violently 
ruffled  by  a  squall.  Hundreds  of  yards  away  from 
them  it  ruffled,  and  undulated  one  wave  after  another. 
As  we  all  got  on  it  we  perceived  it  to  sink  about  a 
foot,  forcing  the  water  on  which  it  rested  into  the 
grassy  channel  formed  by  our  footsteps.  One  of  my 
donkeys  broke  through,  and  it  required  the  united 
strength  of  ten  men  to  extricate  him.  The  aggre- 
gate weight  of  the  donkey  and  men  caused  that  por- 
tion of  the  bridge  on  which  they  stood  to  sink  about 
two  feet  and  a  circular  pool  of  water  was  formed, 
and  I  expected  every  minute  to  see  them  suddenly 
sink  out  of  sight.  Fortunately  we  managed  to  cross 
the  treacherous  bridge  without  accident* 

"  Arriving  on  the  other  side,  we  struck  north,  pass- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  245 

ing  through  a  delightful  country,  in  every  way  suit- 
able for  agricultural  settlements  or  happy  mission 
stations.  The  primitive  rock  began  to  show  itself 
anew  in  eccentric  clusters,  as  a  flat-topped  rock,  on 
which  the  villages  of  the  Wavinza  were  seen  and 
where  the  natives  prided  themselves  on  their  security 
and  conducted  themselves  accordingly,  ever  insolent 
and  forward.  We  were  halted  every  two  or  three 
miles  by  the  demand  for  tribute,  which  we  did  not, 
because  we  could  not,  pay. 

"  On  the  second  day  after  leaving  Nzogera's  son  we 
commenced  a  series  of  descents,  the  deep  valleys  on 
each  side  of  us  astonishing  us  by  their  profundity, 
and  the  dark  gloom  prevailing  below,  amid  their  won- 
derful dense  forests  of  tall  trees,  and  glimpses  of 
plains  beyond,  invited  sincere  admiration.  In  about 
a  couple  of  hours  we  discovered  the  river  we  were 
looking  for  below,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile,  running 
like  a  silver  vein  through  a  broad  valley.  Halting  at 
Kiala's,  eldest  son  of  Nzogera,  the  principal  Sultan 
of  Uvinza,  we  waited  an  hour  to  see  on  what  terms 
he  would  ferry  us  over  the  Malagarazi.  As  we  could 
not  come  to  a  definite  conclusion  respecting  them  we 
were  obliged  to  camp  in  his  village. 

"Until  three  o'clock  P.  M.  the  following  day  con- 
tinued the  negotiations  for  ferrying  us  across  the 
Malagarazi,  consisting  of  arguments,  threats,  quarrels, 
loud  shouting  and  stormy  debate  on  both  sides.  Fi- 
nally, six  doti  and  ten  fundo  of  sami-sami  beads  were 
agreed  upon.  After  which  we  marched  to  the  ferry, 
distant  half  a  mile  from  the  scene  of  so  much  conten- 
tion.    The  river  at  this  place  was   not   more  than 


246  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

thirty  yards  broad,  sluggish  and  deep ;  yet  I  would 
prefer  attempting  to  cross  the  Mississippi  by  swim- 
ming rather  than  the  Malagarazi.  Such  another  river 
for  the  crocodiles,  cruel  as  death,  I  cannot  conceive. 
Their  long,  tapering  heads  dotted  the  river  every- 
where, and  though  I  amused  myself,  pelting  them 
with  two-ounce  balls,  I  made  no  effect  on  their  num- 
bers. Two  canoes  had  discharged  their  live  cargo  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  when  the  story  of  Captain 
Burton's  passage  across  the  Malagarazi  higher  up 
was  brought  vividly  to  my  mind  by  the  extortions 
which  Mutware  now  commenced. 

"  Two  marches  from  Malagarazi  brought  us  to 
Uhha.  Kawanga  was  the  first  place  in  Uhha  where 
we  halted.  It  is  the  village  where  resides  the  first 
mutware,  or  chief,  to  whom  caravans  have  to  pay 
tribute.  To  this  man  we  paid  twelve  and  a  half  doti, 
upon  the  understanding  that  we  would  have  to  pay 
no  more  between  here  and  Ujiji.  We  left  Kawanga 
cheerfully  enough.  The  country  undulated  gently 
before  us  like  the  prairie  of  Nebraska,  as  devoid  of 
trees  almost  as  our  plains.  The  top  of  every  wave 
of  land  enabled  us  to  see  the  scores  of  villages  which 
dotted  its  surface,  though  it  required  keen  eyes  to 
detect  at  a  distance  the  beehived  and  straw-thatched 
huts  from  the  bleached  grass  of  the  plain. 

"  Pursuing  our  way  next  day,  after  a  few  hours' 
march,  we  came  to  Kahirigi,  and  quartered  ourselves 
in  a  large  village,  governed  over  by  Mionvu's  brother, 
who  had  already  been  advised  by  Mionvu  of  the  wind- 
fall in  store  for  him.  This  man,  as  soon  as  we  had 
set  the  tent,  put  in  a  claim  for  thirty  doti,  which  I  was 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  247 

able  to  reduce,  after  much  eloquence,  lasting  over  five 
hours,  to  twenty-six  doti.  I  saw  my  fine  array  of  bales 
being  reduced  fast.  Four  more  such  demands  as  Mi- 
onvu's  would  leave  me,  in  unclassic  phrase,  '  cleaned 
out' 

"After  paying  this  last  tribute,  as  it  was  night,  I 
closed  my  tent,  and,  lighting  my  pipe,  began  to  think 
seriously  upon  my  position  and  how  to  reach  Ujiji 
without  paying  more  tribute.  It  was  high  time  to 
resort  either  to  a  battle  or  to  a  strategy  of  some  kind, 
possibly  to  striking  into  the  jungle  ;  but  there  was  no 
jungle  in  Uhha,  and  a  man  might  be  seen  miles  off  on 
its  naked  plains.  At  least  this  last  was  the  plan  most 
likely  to  succeed  without  endangering  the  prospects 
almost  within  reach  of  the  expedition.  Calling  the 
guide,  I  questioned  him  as  to  its  feasibility.  He  said 
there  was  a  Mguana,  a  slave  of  Thani  Bin  Abdullah, 
in  the  Coma,  with  whom  I  might  consult.  Sending 
for  him,  he  presently  came,  and  I  began  to  ask  him 
for  how  much  he  would  guide  us  out  of  Uhha  with- 
out being  compelled  to  pay  any  more  Muhongo.  He 
replied  that  it  was  a  hard  thing  to  do,  unless  I  had 
complete  control  over  my  men  and  they  could  be  got 
to  do  exactly  as  I  told  them.  When  satisfied  on  this 
point  he  entered  into  an  agreement  to  show  me  a 
road — or  rather  to  lead  me  to  it — that  might  be  clear 
of  all  habitations  as  far  as  Ujiji  for  twelve  doti,  paid 
beforehand.     The  cloth  was  paid  to  him  at  once. 

"At  half-past  two  A.  M.  the  men  were  ready,  and, 
stealing  silently  past  the  huts,  the  guide  opened  the 
gates,  and  we  filed  out  one  by  one  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible.    At  dawn  we  crossed  the  swift  Zunuzi.  which 


248  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

flowed  southward  into  the  Malagarazi,  after  which  we 
took  a  northwesterly  direction  through  a  thick  jungle 
of  bamboo.  There  was  no  road,  and  behind  us  we 
left  but  little  trail  on  the  hard,  dry  ground.  At  eight 
A.  M.  we  halted  for  breakfast,  having  marched  nearly 
six  hours,  within  the  jungle,  which  stretched  for  miles 
around  us. 

"At  ten  A.  M.  we  resumed  our  journey,  and  after 
three  hours  camped  at  Lake  Musuma,  a  body  of  wa- 
ter which  during  the  rainy  season  has  a  length  ot 
three  miles  and  a  breadth  of  two  miles.  It  is  one  oi 
a  group  of  lakes  which  fill  deep  hollows  in  the  plain 
of  Uhha.  They  swarm  with  hippopotami,  and  their 
shores  are  favorite  resorts  of  large  herds  of  buffalo 
and  game.  The  eland  and  buffalo  especially  are  in 
large  numbers  here,  and  the  elephant  and  rhinoceros 
are  exceedingly  numerous.  We  saw  several  of  these, 
but  did  not  dare  to  fire.  On  the  second  morning  af- 
ter  crossing  the  Sunuzi  and  Rugufu  Rivers,  we  had 
just  started  from  our  camp,  and  as  there  was  no  moon- 
light the  head  of  the  column  came  to  a  village,  whose 
inhabitants,  as  we  heard  a  few  voices,  were  about  start- 
ing. We  were  all  struck  with  consternation,  but,  con- 
sulting with  the  guide,  we  despatched  our  goats  and 
chickens,  and  leaving  them  in  the  road,  faced  about, 
retraced  our  steps,  and  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
struck  up  a  ravine,  and  descending  several  precipitous 
places,  about  half-past  six  o'clock  found  ourselves  in 
Ukaranga  —  safe  and  free  from  all  tribute  taking 
Wahha. 

M  Exultant  shouts  were  given — equivalent  to  the 
Anglo-Saxon  hurrah — upon  our  success.     Addressing 


^1^*1  life 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  25 1 

the  men,  I  asked  them,  'Why  should  we  halt  when  but 
a  few  hours  from  Ujiji  ?  Let  us  march  a  few  hours 
more  and  to-morrow  we  shall  see  the  white  man  at 
Ujiji,  and  who  knows  but  this  may  be  the  man  we  are 
seeking  ?  Let  us  go  on,  and  after  to-morrow  we  shall 
have  fish  for  dinner  and  many  days'  rest  afterwards, 
every  day  eating  the  fish  of  the  Tanganyika.  Stop ;  I 
think  I  smell  the  Tanganyika  fish  even  now.'  This 
speech  was  hailed  with  what  the  newspapers  call  '  loud 
applause ;  great  cheering,'  and  '  Ngema — very  well, 
master ;' '  Hyah  Barak- Allah — Onward,  and  the  bless- 
ing of  God  be  on  you.' 

"  We  strode  from  the  frontier  at  the  rate  of  four 
miles  an  hour,  and,  after  six  hours'  march,  the  tired 
caravan  entered  the  woods  which  separate  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Chief  of  Ukaranga  from  the  villages  on 
the  Mkuti  River.  As  we  drew  near  the  village  we 
went  slower,  unfurled  the  American  and  Zanzibar 
flags,  presenting  quite  an  imposing  array.  When  we 
came  in  sight  of  Nyamtaga,  the  name  of  the  Sultan's 
residence,  and  our  flags  and  numerous  guns  were  seen, 
the  Wakaranga  and  their  Sultan  deserted  their  vil- 
lage en  masse,  and  rushed  into  the  woods,  believing 
that  we  were  Mirambo's  robbers,  who,  after  destroy- 
ing Unyanyembe,  were  come  to  destroy  the  Arabs 
and  bunder  of'  Ujiji ;  but  he  and  his  people  were  soon 
reassured,  and  came  forward  to  welcome  us  with  pres- 
ents of  goats  and  beer,  all  of  which  were  very  wel- 
come after  the  exceedingly  lengthy  marches  we  had 
recently  undertaken. 

"Rising  at  early  dawn  our  new  clothes  were  brought 
forth  again  that  we  might  present  as  decent  an  ap- 
15 


252  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

pearance  as  possible  before  the  Arabs  of  Ujiji,  and 
my  helmet  was  well  chalked  and  a  new  puggeree 
folded  around  it,  my  boots  were  well  oiled  and  my 
white  flannels  put  on,  and  altogether,  without  joking, 
I  might  have  paraded  the  streets  of  Bombay  without 
attracting  any  very  great  attention. 

"  A  couple  of  hours  brought  us  to  the  base  of  a  hill, 
from  the  top  of  which  the  Kirangozi  said  we  could 
obtain  a  view  of  the  great  Tanganyika  Lake.  Heed- 
less of  the  rough  path  or  of  the  toilsome  steep,  spur- 
red onward  by  the  cheery  promise,  the  ascent  was 
performed  in  a  short  time.  On  arriving  at  the  top 
we  beheld  it  at  last  from  the  spot  whence,  probably, 
Burton  and  Speke  looked  at  it — 'the  one  in  a  half 
paralyzed  state,  the  other  almost  blind.'  Indeed,  I 
was  pleased  at  the  sight;  and,  as  we  descended,  it 
opened  more  and  more  into  view  until  it  was  revealed 
at  last  into  a  grand  inland  sea,  bounded  westward  by 
an  appalling  and  black-blue  range  of  mountains,  and 
stretching  north  and  south  without  bounds,  a  gray 
expanse  of  water. 

*  From  the  western  base  of  the  hill  was  a  three 
hours'  march,  though  no  march  ever  passed  off  so 
quickly.  The  hours  seemed  to  have  been  quarters, 
we  had  seen  so  much  that  was  novel  and  rare  to  us 
who  had  been  travelling  so  long  on  the  highlands 
The  mountains  bounding  the  lake  on  the  eastward, 
receded  and  the  lake  advanced.  We  had  crossed  the 
Ruche,  or  Linche,  and  its  thick  belt  of  tall  matete 
grass.  Wt  had  plunged  into  a  perfect  forest  of  them, 
and  had  entered  into  the  cultivated  fields  which  sup- 
ply the   port  of  Ujiji  with  vegetables,  etc.,  and  we 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  253 

stood  at  last  on  the  summit  of  the  last  hill  of  the 
myriads  we  had  crossed,  and  the. port  of  Ujiji,  em- 
bowered in  palms,  with  the  tiny  waves  of  the  silver 
waters  of  the  Tanganyika  rolling  at  its  feet  was 
directly  below  us. 

"  We  are  now  about  descending — in  a  few  minutes 
we  shall  have  reached  the  spot  where  we  imagine  the 
object  of  our  search — our  fate  will  soon  be  decided. 
No  one  in  that  town  knows  we  are  coming ;  least  of 
all  do  they  know  we  are  so  close  to  them.  If  any  of 
them  ever  heard  of  the  white  man  at  Unyanyembe 
they  must  believe  we  are  there  yet.  We  shall  take 
them  all  by  surprise,  for  no  other  but  a  white  man 
would  dare  leave  Unyanyembe  for  Ujiji  with  the 
country  in  such  a  distracted  state — no  other  but  a 
crazy  white  man  whom  Sheik,  the  son  of  Nasib  is 
going  to  report  to  Syed  or  Burghash  for  not  taking 
his  advice. 

"Well,  we  are  but  a  mile  from  Ujiji  now,  and  it  is 
high  time  we  should  let  them  know  a  caravan  is  com- 
ing ;  so  ■  Commence  firing'  is  the  word  passed  along 
the  length  of  the  column,  and  gladly  do  they  begin. 
They  have  loaded  their  muskets  half  full,  and  they 
roar  like  the  broadside  of  a  line-of-battle  ship.  Down 
go  the  ramrods,  sending  huge  charges  home  to  the 
breech,  and  volley  after  volley  is  fired.  The  flags  are 
fluttered ;  the  banner  of  America  is  in  front  waving 
joyfully ;  the  guide  is  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory.  The 
former  residents  of  Zanzita  will  know  it  directly,  and 
will  wonder — as  well  they  may — as  to  what  it  means. 
Never  were  the  Stars  and  Stripes  so  beautiful  to  my 
mind — the  breeze  of  the  Tanganyika  has  such  an  ef- 


254  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

feet  on  them.  The  guide  blows  his  horn,  and  the 
shrill,  wild  clangor  of  it  is  far  and  near;  and  still  the 
cannon  muskets  tell  the  noisy  seconds.  By  this  time 
the  Arabs  are  fully  alarmed;  the  natives  of  Ujiji, 
Waguhha,  Warundi,  Wanguana,  and  I  know  not 
whom,  hurry  up  by  the  hundreds  to  ask  what  it  all 
means — this  fusilading,  shouting,  and  blowing  of 
horns  and  flag  flying.  There  are  Yambos  shouted 
out  to  me  by  the  dozen,  and  delighted  Arabs  have 
run  up  breathlessly  to  shake  my  hands  and  ask 
anxiously  where  I  came  from.  But  I  have  no  pa- 
tience with  them.  The  expedition  goes  far  too  slow.  I 
should  like  to  settle  the  vexed  question  by  one  per- 
sonal view.     Where  is  he?     Has  he  fled? 

"  Suddenly  a  man — a  black  man — at  my  elbow 
shouts  in  English, '  How  do  you  sir  ?' 

"  Hello  !  who  are  you?'  '  I  am  the  servant  of  Dr. 
Livingstone,'  he  says ;  but  before  I  can  ask  any  more 
questions  he  is  running  like  a  madman  toward  the 
town. 

"  We  have  at  last  entered  the  town.  There  are 
hundreds  of  people  around  me — I  might  say  thou- 
sands without  exaggeration,  it  seems  to  me.  It  is  a 
grand  triumphal  procession.  As  we  move  they  move. 
All  eyes  are  drawn  towards  us.  The  expedition  at 
last  comes  to  a  halt ;  the  journey  is  ended  for  a  time; 
but  I  alone  have  a  few  more  steps  to  make. 

"  There  is  a  group  of  the  most  respectable  Arabs, 
and  as  I  come  nearer  I  see  the  white  face  of  an  old 
man  among  them.  He  has  a  cap  with  a  gold  band 
around  it,  his  dress  is  a  short  jacket  of  red  blanket 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


255 


cloth  and  pants.     I  am  shaking  hands  with  him.     We 
raise  our  hats,  and  I  say: — 

"  Dr.  Livingstone,  I  presume  ? 

"  And  he  says, '  Yes.' 

"  Finis  coronat  opus. " 

And  thus  was  the  goal  won  after  long  and  toilsome 
and  dangerous  journeyings,  many  hundred  miles  of 
them  never  before  looked  upon  by  the  eye  of  white 
man.  It  was  a  triumph  magnificently  demonstrating 
the  progress  of  humanity,  science,  and  civilization ; 
and  it  must  be  universally  regarded  as  an  achieve- 
ment remarkably  and  most  happily  representative  of 
the  spirit  of  the  age,  since  it  was  accomplished,  not 
by  the  power  and  wealth  of  prince,  or  potentate,  or 
government,  but  by  the  irrepressible  enterprise  of  an 
American  Newspaper. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LIVINGSTONE  AND  STANLEY  IN   AFRICA. 

The  Great  Explorer  as  a  Companion — His  Missionary  Labors — The  Story  of 
His  Latest  Explorations — The  Probable  Sources  of  the  Nile — Great  Lakes 
and  Rivers — The  Country  and  People  of  Central  Africa — A  Race  of  African 
Amazons — Slave  Trade — A  Horrid  Massacre — The  Discoverer  Plundered. 

Mr.  Stanley,  rather  contrary,  it  would  seem,  to  his 
expectations,  found  Dr.  Livingstone  an  exceedingly 
companionable  and  agreeable  gentleman.  He  had 
been  led  to  suppose  that  the  explorer  of  Africa  was 
haughty  and  reserved  in  manner.  Instead,  he  found 
him  hospitable,  most  generous,  and  as  open  and  un- 
affected as  a  child.  He  deferred  reading  his  own  let- 
ters, brought  by  Mr.  Stanley,  until  he  had  the  general 
news  of  the  world  during  the  long  period  in  which  he 
had  been  "  lost."  Then,  he  read  of  home,  and  gave 
the  commander  of  the  "  Herald"  expedition  an  ac- 
count of  his  explorations.  The  result  of  these  inter- 
views is  contained  in  a  letter  dated  at  Bunder  Ujiji 
on  Lake  Tanganyika,  December  26,  1 871,  from  which 
we  largely  extract  as  follows : 

"  The  goal  was  won.  Finis  coronat  opus.  I  might 
here  stop  very  well — for  Livingstone  was  found — 
only  the  'Herald'  I  know  will  not  be  satisfied  with 
one  story,  so  I  will  sit  down  to  another ;  a  story  so 
interesting,  because  he,  the  great  traveller,  the  hero 
Livingstone,  tells  most  of  it  himself. 

256 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  257 

"  Together  we  turned  our  faces  towards  his  tembe. 
He  pointed  to  the  veranda  of  his  house,  which  was 
an  unrailed  platform,  built  of  mud,  covered  by  wide 
overhanging  eaves.  He  pointed  to  his  own  particu- 
lar seat,  on  a  carpet  of  goatskins  spread  over  a  thick 
mat  of  palm  leaf.  I  protested  against  taking  his 
seat,  but  he  insisted,  and  I  yielded.  We  were 
seated,  the  Doctor  and  I,  with  our  back  to  the  wall> 
the  Arabs  to  our  right  and  left  and  in  front,  the  na- 
tives forming  a  dark  perspective  beyond.  Then  be- 
gan conversation;  I  forget  what  about;  possibly 
about  the  road  I  took  from  Unyanyembe,  but  I  am 
not  sure.  I  know  the  Doctor  was  talking,  and  I  was 
answering  mechanically.  I  was  conning  the  indomit- 
able, energetic,  patient  and  persevering  traveller,  at 
whose  side  I  now  sat  in  Central  Africa.  Every  hair 
of  his  head  and  beard,  every  line  and  wrinkle  of  his 
face,  the  wan  face,  the  fatigued  form,  were  all  impart- 
ing the  intelligence  to  me  which  so  many  men  so 
much  desired.  It  was  deeply  interesting  intelligence 
and  unvarnished  truths  these  mute  but  certain  wit- 
nesses gave.  They  told  me  of  the  real  nature  of  the 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged.  Then  his  lips  began 
to  give  me  the  details — lips  that  cannot  lie.  I  could 
not  repeat  what  he  said.  He  had  so  much  to  say 
that  he  began  at  the  end,  seemingly  oblivious  of  the 
fact  that  nearly  six  years  had  to  be  accounted  for. 
But  the  story  came  out  bit  by  bit,  unreservedly — as 
unreservedly  as  if  he  was  conversing  with  Sir  R. 
Murchison,  his  true  friend  and  best  on  earth.  The 
man's  heart  was  gushing  out,  not  in  hurried  sentences, 
in  rapid  utterances,  in  quick  relation — but  in  still  and 


258  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

deep  words.  A  happier  companion,  a  truer  friend 
than  the  traveller,  I  could  not  wish  for.  He  was  al- 
ways polite — with  a  politeness  of  the  genuine  kind — 
and  this  politeness  never  forsook  him  for  an  instant, 
even  in  the  midst  of  the  most  rugged  scenes  and 
greatest  difficulties.  Upon  my  first  introduction  to 
him  Livingstone  was  to  me  like  a  huge  tome,  with  a 
most  unpretending  binding.  Within,  the  book  might 
contain  much  valuable  lore  and  wisdom,  but  its  ex- 
terior gave  no  promise  of  what  was  within.  Thus 
outside  Livingstone  gave  no  token — except  of  being 
rudely  dealt  with  by  the  wilderness — of  what  element 
of  power  or  talent  lay  within.  He  is  a  man  of  un- 
pretending appearance  enough,  has  quiet,  composed 
features,  from  which  the  freshness  of  youth  has  quite 
departed,  but  which  retains  the  mobility  of  prime 
age  just  enough  to  show  that  there  yet  lives  much 
endurance  and  vigor  within  his  frame.  The  eyes, 
which  are  hazel,  are  remarkably  bright,  not  dimmed 
in  the  least,  though  the  whiskers  and  mustache  are 
very  gray.  The  hair,  originally  brown,  is  streaked 
here  and  there  with  gray  over  the  temples,  otherwise 
it  might  belong  to  a  man  of  thirty.  The  teeth  above 
show  indications  of  being  worn  out.  The  hard  fare 
of  Londa  and  Manyema  have  made  havoc  in  their 
ranks.  His  form  is  stoutish,  a  little  over  the  ordin- 
ary in  height,  with  slightly  bowed  shoulders.  When 
walking  he  has  the  heavy  step  of  an  overworked  and 
fatigued  man.  On  his  head  he  wears  the  naval  cap, 
with  a  round  vizor,  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
throughout  Africa.  His  dress  shows  that  at  times  he 
has  had  to  resort  to  the  needle  to  repair  and  replace 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  259 

what  travel  has  worn.  Such  is  Livingstone  exter- 
nally. 

"  Of  the  inner  man  much  more  may  be  said  than  of 
the  outer.  As  he  reveals  himself,  bit  by  bit,  to  the 
stranger,  a  great  many  favorable  points  present  them- 
selves, any  of  which  taken  singly  might  well  dispose 
you  toward  him.  I  had  brought  him  a  packet  of  let- 
ters, and  though  I  urged  him  again  and  again  to  de- 
fer conversation  with  me  until  he  had  read  the  news 
from  home  and  children,  he  said  he  would  defer 
reading  until  night ;  for  the  time  he  would  enjoy  be- 
ing astonished  by  the  European  and  any  general 
world  news  I  could  communicate.  He  had  acquired 
the  art  of  being  patient  long  ago,  he  said,  and  he  had 
waited  so  long  for  letters  that  he  could  well  afford 
to  wait  a  few  hours  more.  So  we  sat  and  talked  on 
that  humble  veranda  of  one  of  the  poorest  houses  in 
Ujiji.  Talked  quite  oblivious  of  the  large  concourse 
of  Arabs,  Wanguana,  and  Wajiji,  who  had  crowded 
around  to  see  the  new  comer. 

"  The  hours  of  that  afternoon  passed  most  pleas- 
antly— few  afternoons  of  my  life  more  so.  It  seemed 
to  me  as  if  I  had  met  an  old,  old  friend.  There  was 
a  friendly  or  good-natured  abandon  about  Livingstone 
which  was  not  lost  on  me.  As  host,  welcoming  one 
who  spoke  his  language,  he  did  his  duties  with  a  spirit 
and  style  I  have  never  seen  elsewhere.  He  had  not 
much  to  offer,  to  be  sure,  but  what  he  had  was  mine 
and  his.  The  wan  features  which  I  had  thought 
shocked  me  at  first  meeting,  the  heavy  step  which 
told  of  age  and  hard  travel,  the  gray  beard  and 
stooping   shoulders    belied    the    man.     Underneath 


260  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

that  aged  and  well  spent  exterior  lay  an  endless  fund 
of  high  spirits,  which  now  and  then  broke  out  in 
peals  of  hearty  laughter — the  rugged  frame  enclosed  a 
very  young  and  exuberant  soul.  The  meal — I  am  not 
sure  but  what  we  ate  three  meals  that  afternoon — 
was  seasoned  with  innumerable  jokes  and  pleasant 
anecdotes,  interesting  hunting  stories,  of  which  his 
friends  Webb,  Oswell,  Vardon,  and  Cumming  (Gor- 
don Cumming)  were  always  the  chief  actors.  '  You 
have  brought  me  new  life/  he  said  several  times,  so 
that  I  was  not  sure  but  that  there  was  some  little 
hysteria  in  this  joviality  and  abundant  animal  spirits, 
but  as  I  found  it  continued  during  several  weeks  I 
am  now  disposed  to  think  it  natural. 

"Another  thing  which  specially  attracted  my  atten- 
tion was  his  wonderfully  retentive  memory.  When 
we  remember  the  thirty  years  and  more  he  has  spent 
in  Africa,  deprived  of  books,  we  may  well  think  it  an 
uncommon  memory  that  can  recite  whole  poems  of 
Burns,  Byron,  Tennyson,  and  Longfellow.  Even  the 
poets  Whittier  and  Lowell  were  far  better  known  to 
him  than  me.  He  knew  an  endless  number  of  facts 
and  names  of  persons  connected  with  America  much 
better  than  I,  though  it  was  my  peculiar  province  as 
a  journalist  to  have  known  them. 

"Dr.  Livingstone  is  a  truly  pious  man — a  man 
deeply  imbued  with  real  religious  instincts.  The 
study  of  the  man  would  not  be  complete  if  we  did 
not  take  the  religious  side  of  his  character  into  con- 
sideration. His  religion,  any  more  than  his  business, 
is  not  of  the  theoretical  kind — simply  contenting  it- 
self with  avowing  its  peculiar  creed  and  ignoring  all 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  26 1 

other  religions  as  wrong  or  weak.  It  is  of  the  true, 
practical  kind,  never  losing  a  chance  to  manifest  itself 
in  a  quiet,  practical  way — never  demonstrative  or 
loud.  It  is  always  at  work,  if  not  in  deed,  by  shining 
example.  It  is  not  aggressive,  which  sometimes  is 
troublesome  and  often  impertinent.  In  him  religion 
exibits  its  loveliest  features.  It  governs  his  conduct 
towards  his  servants,  towards  the  natives  and  towards 
the  bigoted  Mussulmans — all  who  come  in  contact 
with  him.  Without  religion  Livingstone,  with  his 
ardent  temperament,  his  enthusiastic  nature,  his  high 
spirit  and  courage,  might  have  been  an  uncompanion- 
able man  and  a  hard  master.  Religion  has  tamed  all 
these  characteristics ;  nay,  if  he  was  ever  possessed 
of  them,  they  have  been  thoroughly  eradicated. 
Whatever  was  crude  or  wilful  religion  has  refined, 
and  made  him,  to  speak  the  earnest,  sober  truth,  the 
most  agreeable  of  companions  and  indulgent  of  mas- 
ters. Every  Sunday  morning  he  gathers  his  little 
flock  around  him  and  has  prayers  read,  in  the  tone 
recommended  by  Archbishop  Whately — viz,  natural, 
unaffected,  and  sincere.  Following  them  he  delivers 
a  short  address  in  the  Kisawahiti  language  about 
what  he  has  been  reading  from  the  Bible  to  them, 
which  is  listened  to  with  great  attention. 

"  When  I  first  met  the  Doctor  I  asked  him  if  he  did 
not  feel  a  desire  to  visit  his  country  and  take  a  little 
rest.  He  had  then  been  absent  about  six  years,  and 
the  answer  he  gave  me  freely  shows  what  kind  of  man 
he  is.     Said  he  : — 

" 4 1  would  like  very  much  to  go  home  and  see  my 
children  once  again,  but  I  cannot  bring  my  heart  to 


262  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

abandon  the  task  I  have  undertaken  when  it  is  so 
nearly  completed.  It  only  requires  six  or  seven 
months  more  to  trace  the  true  source  that  I  have  dis- 
covered with  Petherick's  branch  of  the  White  Nile,  or 
with  the  Albert  Nyanza  of  Sir  Samuel  Baker.  Why 
should  I  go  before  my  task  is  ended,  to  have  to  come 
back  again  to  do  what  I  can  very  well  do  now  ?'  'And 
why/  I  asked, '  did  you  come  so  far  back  without  fin- 
ishing the  short  task  which  you  say  you  have  yet  to 
do  ?'  '  Simply  because  I  was  forced  ;  my  men  would 
not  budge  a  step  forward.  They  mutinied  and  formed 
a  secret  resolution  that  if  I  still  insisted  on  going  on 
to  raise  a  disturbance  in  the  country,  and  after  they 
had  effected  it  to  abandon  me,  in  which  case  I  should 
be  killed.  It  was  dangerous  to  go  any  farther.  I  had 
explored  six  hundred  miles  of  the  watershed,  had 
traced  all  the  principal  streams  which  discharged 
their  waters  into  the  central  line  of  drainage,  and 
when  a.bout  starting  to  explore  the  last  one  hundred 
miles  the  hearts  of  my  people  failed,  and  they  set 
about  frustrating  me  in  every  possible  way.  Now, 
having  returned  seven  hundred  miles  to  get  a  new 
supply  of  stores  and  another  escort,  I  find  myself  des- 
titute of  even  the  means  to  live  but  for  a  few  weeks, 
and  sick  in  mind  and  body.' 

"Again,  about  a  week  after  I  had  arrived  in  Ujiji,  I 
asked  Livingstone  if  he  had  examined  the  northern 
head  of  the  Tanganyika.  He  answered  immediately 
he  had  not,  and  then  asked  if  people  expected  he  had. 

" '  I  did  try  before  setting  out  for  Manyema,'  he  said, 
4  to  engage  canoes  and  proceed  northward,  but  I  soon 
saw  that  the  people  were  all  confederating  to  fleece 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  26 


me  as  they-  had  Burton,  and  had  I  gone  under  such 
circumstances  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  proceed 
to  Manyema  to  explore  the  central  line  of  drainage, 
and  of  course  the  most  important  line — far  more  im- 
portant than  the  line  of  the  Tanganyika ;  for  what- 
ever connection  there  may  be  between  the  Tangan- 
yika and  the  Albert  the  true  sources  of  the  Nile  are 
those  emptying  into  the  central  line  of  drainage.  In 
my  own  mind  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  the  Ru- 
sizi  River  flows  from  this  lake  into  the  Albert.  For 
three  months  steadily  I  observed  a  current  setting 
northward.  I  verified  it  by  means  of  water  plants. 
When  Speke  gives  the  altitude  of  the  Tanganyika  at 
only  1,880  feet  above  the  sea  I  imagine  he  must  have 
fallen  into  the  error  by  frequently  writing  the  Anno 
Domini,  and  thus  made  a  slip  of  the  pen;  for  the  al- 
titude is  over  two  thousand  eight  hundred  feet  by 
boiling  point,  though  I  make  it  a  little  over  three 
thousand  feet  by  barometers.  Thus  you  see  that 
there  are  no  very  great  natural  difficulties  on  the 
score  of  altitude,  and  nothing  to  prevent  the  reason- 
able supposition  that  there  may  be  a  water  connec- 
tion by  means  of  the  Rusizi  or  some  other  river  be- 
tween the  two  lakes.  Besides,  the  Arabs  here  are  di- 
vided in  their  statements.  Some  swear  that  the  river 
goes  out  of  the  Tanganyika,  others  that  it  flows  into 
the  Tanganyika.' 

"  Dr.  Livingstone  left  the  island  of  Zanzibar  in 
March,  1866.  On  the  7th  of  the  following  month  he 
departed  from  Mikindini  Bay  for  the  interior,  with 
an  expedition  consisting  of  twelve  Sepoys  from  Bom- 
bay, nine  men  from  Johanna,  of  the  Comoro  Isles 


264  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

seven  liberated  slaves  and  two  Zambesi  men  (taking 
them  as  an  experiment),  six  camels,  three  buffaloes, 
two  mules  and  three  donkeys.  He  thus  had  thirty 
men,  twelve  of  whon* — viz.,  the  Sepoys — were  to  act 
as  guards  for  the  expedition.  They  were  mostly 
armed  with  the  Enfield  rifles  presented  to  the  Doc- 
tor by  the  Bombay  government.  The  baggage  of 
the  expedition  consisted  of  ten  bales  of  cloth  and 
two  bags  of  beads,  which  were  to  serve  as  currency 
by  which  they  would  be  enabled  to  purchase  the  nec- 
essaries of  life  in  the  countries  the  Doctor  intended 
to  visit.  Besides  the  cumbrous  moneys  they  carried 
several  boxes  of  instruments,  such  as  chronometers, 
air  thermometers,  sextant  and  artificial  horizon,  box- 
es containing  clothes,  medicines,  and  personal  neces- 
saries. 

"  The  expedition  travelled  up  the  left  bank  of  the 
Rovuma  River,  a  route  as  full  of  difficulties  as  any 
that  could  be  chosen.  For  miles  Livingstone  and 
his  party  had  to  cut  their  way  with  their  axes  through 
the  dense  and  most  impenetrable  jungles  which 
lined  the  river's  banks.  The  road  was  a  mere  foot- 
path, leading  in  the  almost  erratic  fashion,  in  and 
through  the  dense  vegetation,  seeking  the  easiest 
outlet  from  it  without  any  regard  to  the  course  it 
ran.  The  pagazis  were  able  to  proceed  easily  enough 
but  the  camels  on  account  of  their  enormous  height, 
could  not  advance  a  step  without  the  axes  of  the 
party  first  clearing  the  way.  These  tools  of  for- 
esters were  almost  always  required,  but  the  advance 
of  the  expedition  was  often  retarded  by  the  unwil- 
lingness of  the  Sepoys  and  Johanna  men  to  work. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  265 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  the  expedition  from  the 
coast  the  murmurings  and  complaints  of  these  men 
began,  and  upon  every  occasion  and  at  every  oppor- 
tunity they  evinced  a  decided  hostility  to  an  advance. 

"The  Doctor  and  his  little  party  arrived  on  the 
1 8th  day  of  July,  1866,  at  a  village  belonging  to  a 
chief  of  the  Mahiyaw,  situated  eight  days'  march  south 
of  the  Rovuma  and  overlooking  the  watershed  of  the 
Lake  Nyassa.  The  territory  lying  between  the  Ro- 
vuma river  and  this  Mahiyaw  chieftain  was  an  unin- 
habited wilderness,  during  the  transit  of  which  Liv- 
ingstone and  the  expedition  suffered  considerably 
from  hunger  and  desertion  of  men. 

"  Early  in  August,  1866,  the  Doctor  came  to 
Mponda's  country,  a  chief  who  dwelt  near  the  Lake 
Nyassa.  On  the  road  thither  two  of  the  liberated 
slaves  deserted  him.  Here,  also,  Wakotani  (not 
Wikotani)  a  protege  of  the  Doctor,  insisted  upon  his 
discharge,  alleging  as  an  excuse,  which  the  Doctor 
subsequently  found  to  be  untrue,  that  he  had  found 
his  brother." 

Hence  the  explorer  proceeded  to  the  heel  of  Lake 
Nyassa  where  there  is  a  village  of  a  Babisa  chief. 
The  chief  was  ill,  and  Doctor  Livingstone  remained 
there  for  some  time  to  give  him  medical  aid.  It  was 
here  that  he  was  deserted  by  his  Johanna  men,  the 
chief  of  whom,  Ali  Moosa  (or  Musa),  pretended  to 
give  credence  to  a  mournful  story  of  plunder  per- 
petrated upon  a  certain  half-caste  Arab  who  had  been 
along  the  western  shore  of  the  lake.  Though  the 
explorer  gave  no  faith  to  the  Arab  story,  he  deter- 
mined not  to  go   among  the    Ma-zitu,  reported    so 


266  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

hostile,  and  proceeded  in  a  southwestern  course  for 
a  considerable  distance.  The  correspondent's  letter 
goes  on  to  say : 

"  As  soon  as  he  turned  his  face  westward  Musa 
and  the  Johanna  men  ran  away  in  a  body.  The 
Doctor  says,  in  commenting  upon  Musa's  conduct, 
that  he  felt  strongly  tempted  to  shoot  Musa  and  an- 
other ringleader,  but  was  nevertheless  glad  that  he 
did  not  soil  his  hands  with  their  vile  blood.  A  day 
or  two  afterwards  another  of  his  men — Simon  Price 
by  name — came  to  the  Doctor  with  the  same  tale 
about  the  Ma-Zitu,  but,  compelled  by  the  scant  num- 
ber of  his  people  to  repress  all  such  tendencies  to 
desertion  and  faint-heartedness,  the  Doctor  '  shut 
him  up'  at  once  and  forbade  him  to  utter  the  name  of 
the  Ma-Zitu  any  more.  Had  the  natives  not  assisted 
him  he  must  have  despaired  of  ever  being  able  to 
penetrate  the  wild  and  unexplored  interior  which  he 
was  now  about  to  tread. 

" '  Fortunately,'  as  the  Doctor  says  with  unctiont 
1 1  was  in  a  country  now,  after  leaving  the  shores  of 
the  Nyassa,  where  the  feet  of  the  slave  trader  had 
not  trodden.  It  was  a  new  and  virgin  land,  and  of 
course,  as  I  have  always  found  it  in  such  cases,  the 
natives  were  really  good  and  hospitable,  and  for  very 
small  portions  of  cloth  my  baggage  was  conveyed 
from  village  to  village  by  them.'  In  many  other  ways 
the  traveller  in  his  extremity  was  kindly  treated  by 
the  undefiled  and  unspoiled  natives.  On  leaving 
this  hospitable  region  in  the  early  part  of  December, 
1866,  the  Doctor  entered  a  country  where  the  Mazitu 
had  excercised  their  customary  spoliating  propensities 


OSTHICH. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  269 

The  land  was  swept  clean  of  all  provisions  and 
cattle,  and  the  people  had  emigrated  to  other  coun- 
tries beyond  the  bounds  of  these  ferocious  plunder- 
ers. Again  the  expedition  was  besieged  by  famine, 
and  was  reduced  to  great  extremity.  To  satisfy  the 
pinching  hunger  it  suffered  it  had  recourse  to  the 
wild  fruits  which  some  parts  of  the  country  furnished. 
At  intervals  the  condition  of  the  hard-pressed  band 
was  made  worse  by  the  heartless  desertion  of  some 
of  its  members,  who  more  than  once  departed  with 
the  Doctor's  personal  kit — changes  of  clothes  and 
linen,  etc.  With  more  or  lesss  misfortunes  con- 
stantly dogging  his  footsteps,  he  traversed  in  safety 
the  countries  of  the  Babisa,  Bobemba,  Barungu,  Ba- 
ulungu,  and  Londa. 

"  In  the  country  of  Londa  lives  the  famous  Ca- 
zembe — made  known  to  Europeans  first  by  Dr.  La- 
cerda,  the  Portuguese  traveller.  Cazembe  is  a  most 
intelligent  prince ;  is  a  tall,  stalwart  man,  who  wears 
a  peculiar  kind  of  dress,  made  of  crimson  print,  in 
the  form  of  a  prodigious  kilt.  The  mode  of  arrang- 
ing it  is  most  ludicrous.  All  the  folds  of  this  enor- 
mous kilt  are  massed  in  front,  which  causes  him  to 
look  as  if  the  peculiarities  of  the  human  body  were 
reversed  in  his  case.  The  abdominal  parts  are  thus 
covered  with  a  balloon-like  expansion  of  cloth,  while 
the  lumbar  region,  which  is  by  us  jealously  clothed, 
with  him  is  only  half  draped  by  a  narrow  curtain 
which  by  no  means  suffices  to  obscure  its  naturally 
fine  proportions.  In  this  state  dress  King  Cazembe 
received  Dr.  Livingstone,  surrounded  by  his  chiefs 
and  body  guards.  A  chief,  who  had  been  deputed 
16 


27O  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

by  the  King  arid  elders  to  find  out  all  about  the 
white  man,  then  stood  up  before  the  assembly,  and  in 
a  loud  voice  gave  the  result  of  the  inquiry  he  had  in- 
stituted. He  had  heard  the  white  man  had  come  to 
look  for  waters,  for  rivers  and  seas.  Though  he  did 
not  understand  what  the  white  man  could  want  with 
such  things,  he  had  no  doubt  that  the  object  was 
good.  Then  Cazembe  asked  what  the  Doctor  pro- 
posed doing  and  where  he  thought  of  going.  The 
Doctor  replied  that  he  had  thought  of  going  south, 
as  he  had  heard  of  lakes  and  rivers  being  in  that  di- 
rection.  Cazembe  asked  :  '  What  can  you  want  to  go 
there  for  ?  The  water  is  close  here.  There  is  plenty 
of  large  water  in  this  neighborhood/  Before  break- 
ing up  the  assembly  Cazembe  gave  orders  to  let  the 
white  man  go  where  he  would  through  his  country 
undisturbed  and  unmolested.  He  was  the  first 
Englishman  he  had  seen,  he  said,  and  he  liked  him. 
"  Shortly  after  his  introduction  to  the  King  the 
Queen  entered  the  large  house  surrounded  by  a  body 
guard  of  Amazons  armed  with  spears.  She  was  a 
fine,  tall,  handsome  young  woman,  and  evidently 
thought  she  was  about  to  make  a  great  impression 
upon  the  rustic  white  man,  for  she  had  clothed  her- 
self after  a  most  royal  fashion,  and  was  armed  with  a 
ponderous  spear.  But  her  appearance,  so  different 
from  what  the  Doctor  had  imagined,  caused  him  to 
laugh,  which  entirely  spoiled  the  effect  intended,  for 
the  laugh  of  the  Doctor  was  so  contagious  that  she 
herself  was  the  first  who  imitated,  and  the  Amazons, 
courtier-like,  followed  suit.  Much  disconcerted  by 
this,  the  Queen  ran  back,  followed  by  her  obedient 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  271 

damsels — a  retreat  most  undignified  and  unqueenlike 
compared  to  her  majestic  advent  into  the  Doctor's 
presence. 

"  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  country  of  Londa,  or 
Lunda,  and  before  he  had  entered  the  district  of 
Cazembe,  he  had  crossed  a  river  called  the  Cham- 
bezi,  which  was  quite  an  important  stream.  The 
similarity  of  the  name  with  that  large  and  noble 
river  south,  which  will  be  forever  connected  with  his 
name,  misled  Livingstone  at  that  time,  and  he  ac- 
cordingly did  not  pay  it  the  attention  it  deserved, 
believing  that  the  Chambezi  was  but  the  head-waters 
of  the  Zambezi,  and  consequently  had  no  bearing  or 
connection  with  the  sources  of  the  river  of  Egypt,  of 
which  he  was  in  search.  His  fault  was  in  relying  too 
implicitly  upon  the  correctness  of  Portuguese  infor- 
mation. This  error  cost  him  many  months  of  tedi- 
ous labor  and  travel.  But  these  travels  and  tedious 
labors  of  his  in  Londa  and  the  adjacent  countries 
have  established  beyond  doubt  first,  that  the  Cham- 
bezi is  a  totally  distinct  river  from  the  Zambezi  of 
the  Portuguese,  and  secondly,  that  the  Chambezi, 
starting  from  about  latitude  eleven  degrees  south,  is 
none  other  than  the  most  southerly  feeder  of  the 
great  Nile,  thus  giving  this  famous  river  a  length  of 
over  two  thousand  six  hundred  miles  of  direct  lati- 
tude, making  it  second  to  the  Mississippi,  the  longest 
river  in  the  world.  The  real  and  true  name  of  the 
Zambezi  is  Dombazi.  When  Lacuda  and  his  Portu- 
guese successors  came  to  Cazembe,  crossed  the 
Chambezi  and  heard  its  name,  they  very  naturally 
set  it   down   as     'our  own    Zambezi/    and   without 


272  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

further  inquiry  sketched  it  as  running  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

u  During  his  researches  in  that  region,  so  pregnant 
in  discoveries,  Livingstone  came  to  a  lake  lying 
northeast  of  Cazembe,  which  the  natives  called 
Liemba,  from  the  country  of  that  name,  which 
bordered  it  on  the  east  and  south.  In  tracing  the 
lake  north  he  found  it  to  be  none  other  than  the 
Tanganyika,  or  the  southeastern  extremity  of  it, 
which  looks  on  the  Doctor's  map  very  much  like  an 
outline  of  Italy.  The  latitude  of  the  southern  end 
of  this  great  body  of  water  is  about  nine  degrees 
south,  which  gives  it  thus  a  length,  from  north  to 
south,  of  360  geographical  miles. 

"  From  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Tanganyika 
he  crossed  Marungu  and  came  in  sight  of  Lake 
Moero.  Tracing  this  lake,  which  is  about  sixty  miles 
in  length,  to  its  southern  head,  he  found  a  river 
called  the  Luapula  entering  it  from  that  direction: 
Following  the  Luapula  south  he  found  it  issue  from 
the  large  lake  of"  Bangweolo,  which  is  as  large  in 
superficial  area  as  the  Tanganyika.  In  exploring  for 
the  waters  which  emptied  into  the  lake  he  found  by 
far  the  most  important  of  these  feeders  was  the 
Chambezi.  So  that  he  had  thus  traced  the  Cham- 
bezi  from  its  source  to  Lake  Bangweolo,  and  issue 
from  its  northern  head  under  the  name  of  Luapula, 
and  found  it  enter  Lake  Moero.  Again  he  returned 
to  Cazembe,  well  satisfied  that  the  river  running 
north  through  three  degrees  of  latitude  could  not  be 
the  river  running  south  under  the  name  of  the  Zam- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  2  J $ 

bezi,  though  Ahere  might  be  a  remarkable  resemblance 
in  their  names. 

"  At  Cazembe  he  found  an  old  white-bearded  half- 
caste  named  Mohammed  ben  Salih,  who  was  kept  as 
a  kind  of  prisoner  at  large  by  the  King  because  of 
certain  suspicious  circumstance  attending  his  advent 
and  stay  in  his  country.  Through  Livingstone's  in- 
fluence Mohammed  ben  Salih  obtained  his  release. 
On  the  road  to  Ujiji  he  had  bitter  cause  to  regret 
having  exerted  himself  in  the  half-castes  behalf.  He 
turned  out  to  be  a  most  ungrateful  wretch,  who 
poisoned  the  minds  of  the  Doctor's  few  followers 
and  ingratiated  himself  in  their  favor  by  selling  the 
favors  of  his  concubines  to  them,  thus  reducing  them 
to  a  kind  of  bondage  under  him.  From  the  day  he 
had  the  vile  old  man  in  his  company  manifold  and 
bitter  misfortunes  followed  the  Doctor  up  to  his  ar- 
rival in  Ujiji,  in   March,  1869. 

"  From  the  date  of  his  arrival  until  the  end  of 
June  (1869)  he  remained  in  Ujiji,  whence  he  dated 
those  letters  which,  though  the  outside  world  still 
doubted  his  being  alive,  satisfied  the  minds  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  people  and  his  intimate  friends 
that  he  was  alive,  and  Musa's  tale  an  ingenious  but 
false  fabrication  of  a  cowardly  deserter.  It  was  dur- 
ing this  time  that  the  thought  occurred  to  him  of 
sailing  around  the  Lake  Tanganyika,  but  the  Arabs 
and  natives  were  so  bent  upon  fleecing  him  that,  had 
he  undertaken  it  the  remainder  of  his  goods  would 
not  have  enabled  him  to  explore  the  central  line  of 
drainage,  the  initial  point  of  which  he  found  far 
south  of  Cazembe,  in  about  latitude   11   degrees,  in 


2  74  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

the  river  Chambezi.  In  the  days  when  tjred  Captain 
Burton  was  resting  in  Ujiji,  after  his  march  from  the 
coast  near  Zanzibar,  the  land  to  which  Livingstone, 
on  his  departure  from  Ujiji,  bent  his  steps,  was  un- 
known to  the  Arabs  save  by  vague  report.  Messrs. 
Burton  and  Speke  never  heard  of  it,  it  seems. 
Speke,  who  was  the  geographer  of  Burton's  expe- 
dition, heard  of  a  place  called  Uruwa,  which  he 
placed  on  his  map  according  to  the  general  direction 
indicated  by  the  Arabs  ;  but  the  most  enterprising 
of  the  Arabs,  in  their  search  after  ivory,  only  touched 
the  frontiers  of  Rua,  as  the  natives  and  Livingstone 
call  it ;  for  Rua  is  an  immense  country,  with  a  length 
of  six  degrees  of  latitude  and  as  yet  an  undefined 
breadth  from  east  to  west. 

"At  the  end  of  June,  1869,  Livingstone  took  dhow 
at  Ujiji  and  crossed  over  to  Uguhha,  on  the  western 
shore,  for  his  last  and  greatest  series  of  explorations, 
the  result  of  which  was  the  discovery  of  a  series  of 
lakes  of  great  magnitude  connected  together  by  a 
large  river  called  by  different  names  as  it  left  one 
lake  to  flow  to  another.  From  the  port  of  Uguhha 
he  set  off  in  company  with  a  body  of  traders,  in  an 
almost  direct  westerly  course,  through  the  lake  coun- 
try of  Uguhha.  Fifteen  days  march  brought  them 
to  Bambarre,  the  first  important  ivory  depot  in  Man- 
yema,  or,  as  the  natives  pronounce  it,  Manuyema. 
For  nearly  six  months  he  was  detained  at  Bambarre 
from  ulcers  in  the  feet,  with  copious  discharges  of 
bloody  ichor  oozing  from  the  sores  as  soon  as  he  set 
his  feet  on  the  ground.  •  When  well,  he  set  off  in  a 
northerly  direction,  and,  after  several  days,  came  to 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  275 

a  broad,  lacustrine  river,  called  the  Lualaba,  flowing 
northward  and  westward,  and,  in  some  places  south- 
ward, in  a  most  confusing  way.  The  river  was  from 
one  to  three  miles  broad.  By  exceeding  pertinacity 
he  contrived  to  follow  its  erratic  course  until  he  saw 
the  Lualaba  enter  the  narrow  but  lengthy  lake  of 
Kamolondo,  in  about  latitude  6  deg.  30  min.  south. 
Retracing  it  south  he  came  to  the  point  where  he 
had  seen  the  Luapula  enter  Lake  Moero. 

"  One  feels  quite  enthusiastic  when  listening  to 
Livingstone's  description  of  the  beauties  of  Moero 
scenery.  Pent  in  on  all  sides  by  high  mountains 
clothed  to  their  tips  with  the  richest  vegetation  of 
the  tropics,  Moero  discharges  its  superfluous  waters 
through  a  deep  rent  in  the  bosom  of  the  mountains. 
The  impetuous  and  grand  river  roars  through  the 
chasm  with  the  thunder  of  a  cataract ;  but  soon  after 
leaving  its  confined  and  deep  bed  it  expands  into  the 
calm  and  broad  Lualaba — expanding  over  miles  of 
ground,  making  great  bends  west  and  southwest,  then, 
curving  northward,  enters  Kamolondo.  By  the  na- 
tives it  is  called  the  Lualaba,  but  the  Doctor,  in  order 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  rivers  of  the  same 
name,  has  given  it  the  name  of  Webb's  River,  after 
Mr.  Webb,  the  wealthy  proprietor  of  Newstead  Ab- 
bey, whom  the  Doctor  distinguishes  as  one  of  his 
oldest  and  most  consistent  friends.  Away  to  the 
southwest  from  Kamolondo  is  another  large  lake, 
which  discharges  its  waters  by  the  important  river 
Locki,  or  Lomami,  into  the  great  Lualaba.  To  this 
lake,  known  as  Chebungo  by  the  natives,  Dr.  Living- 
stone has  given  the  name  of  Lincoln,  to  be  hereafter 


276  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

distinguished  on  maps  and  in  books  as  Lake  Lincoln, 
in  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  our  murdered  Pres- 
ident. This  was  done  from  the  vivid  impression  pro- 
duced on  his  mind  by  hearing  a  portion  of  his  inau- 
guration speech  read  from  an  English  pulpit,  which 
related  to  the  causes  that  induced  him  to  issue  his 
emancipation  proclamation.  To  the  memory  of  the 
man  whose  labors  in  behalf  of  the  negro  race  deserved 
the  commendation  of  all  good  men  Livingstone  has 
contributed  a  monument  more  durable  than  brass  or 
stone. 

"  Entering  Webb's  River  from  the  south-southwest, 
a  little  north  of  Kamolondo,  is  a  large  river  called  the 
Lufira,  but  the  streams  that  discharge  themselves 
from  the  watershed  into  the  Lualaba  are  so  numer- 
ous that  the  Doctors  map  would  not  contain  them, 
so  he  has  left  all  out  except  the  most  important. 
Continuing  his  way  north,  tracing  the  Luabala  through 
its  manifold  and  crooked  curves  as  far  as  latitude  four 
decrees  south,  he  came  to  another  large  lake  called 
the  Unknown  Lake;  but  here  you  may  come  to  a 
dead  halt,  and  read  it  thus  :— *  *  *  *  *  *  Here 
was  the  furthermost  point.  From  here  he  was  com- 
pelled to  return  on  the  weary  road  to  Ujiji,  a  distance 
of  600  miles. 

"In  this  brief  sketch  of  Doctor  Livingstone's  won- 
derful travels  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  most  super- 
ficial reader,  as  well  as  the  student  of  geography, 
comprehends  this  grand  system  of  lakes  connected 
together  by  Webb's  river.  To  assist  him,  let  him 
procure  a  map  of  Africa,  embracing  the  latest  discov- 
eries.    Two  degrees  south  of  the  Tanganyika,  and 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  277 

two  degrees  west  let  him  draw  the  outlines  of  a  lake, 
its  greatest  length  from  east  to  west,  and  let  him  call 
it  Bangweolo.  One  degree  or  thereabout  to  the 
northwest  let  him  sketch  the  outlines  of  another  but 
smaller  lake  and  call  it  Moero ;  a  degree  again  north 
of  Moero  another  lake  of  similar  size,  and  call  it 
Kamolondo,  and  still  a  degree  north  of  Kamolondo 
another  lake,  large  and  as  yet  undefined  limits,  which, 
in  the  absence  of  any  specific  term,  we  will  call  the 
Nameless  Lake.  Then  let  him  connect  these  several 
lakes  by  a  river  called  after  different  names.  Thus, 
the  main  feeder  of  Bangweolo,  the  Chambezi ;  the 
river  which  issues  out  of  Bangweolo  and  runs  into 
Moero,  the  Luapula;  the  river  connecting  Moero 
with  Kamolondo,  Webb's  river ;  that  which  runs 
from  Kamolondo  into  the  Nameless  Lake  northward, 
the  Lualaba;  and  let  him  write  in  bold  letters  over 
the  rivers  Chambezi,  Luapula,  Webbs  River  and  the 
Lualaba  the  ■  Nile,'  for  these  are  all  one  and  the  same 
river.  Again,  west  of  Moero  Lake,  about  one  degree 
or  thereabouts,  another  large  lake  may  be  placed  on 
his  map,  with  a  river  running  diagonally  across  to 
meet  the  Lualaba  north  of  Lake  Kamolondo.  This 
new  lake  is  Lake  Lincoln,  and  the  river  is  the  Lo- 
mami  River,  the  confluence  of  which  with  the  Lua- 
laba is  between  Kamolondo  and  the  Nameless  Lake. 
Taken  altogether,  the  reader  may  be  said  to  have  a 
very  fair  idea  of  what  Dr.  Livingstone  has  been  do- 
ing these  long  years,  and  what  additions  he  has  made 
to  the  study  of  African  geography.  That  this  river, 
distinguished  under  several  titles,  flowing  from  one 
lake  into  another  in  a  northerly  direction,  with   all 


278  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

its  great  crooked  bends  and  sinuosities,  is  the  Nile, 
the  true  Nile,  the  Doctor  has  not  the  least  doubt. 
For  a  long  time  he  did  doubt,  because  of  its  deep 
bends  and  curves — west,  and  southwest  even — but 
having  traced  it  from  its  headwaters,  the  Chambezi, 
through  seven  degrees  of  latitude — that  is,  from  lat- 
itude  eleven  degrees  south  to  a  little  north  of  lati- 
tude four  degrees  south — he  has  been  compelled  to 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  can  be  no  other  river 
than  the  Nile.  He  had  thought  it  was  the  Congo, 
but  he  has  discovered  the  sources  of  the  Congo  to 
be  the  Kasai  and  the  Quango,  two  rivers  which  rise 
on  the  western  side  of  the  Nile  watershed  in  about 
the  latitude  of  Bangweolo;  and  he  was  told  of  another 
river  called  the  Lubilash,  which  rose  from  the  north 
and  ran  west.  But  the  Lualaba  the  Doctor  thinks 
cannot  be  the  Congo,  from  its  great  size  and  body 
and  from  its  steady  and  continual  flow  northward 
through  a  broad  and  extensive  valley,  bounded  by 
enormous  mountains,  westerly  and  easterly.  The 
altitude  of  the  most  northerly  point  to  which  the 
Doctor  traced  the  wonderful  river  was  a  little  over 
two  thousand  feet,  so  that  though  Baker  makes  out 
his  lake  to  be  two  thousand  seven  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  yet  the  Bahr  Ghazal,  through  which  Pether- 
ick's branch  of  the  White  Nile  issues  into  the  Nile, 
is  only  a  little  over  two  thousand  feet,  in  which  case 
there  is  a  possibility  that  the  Lualaba  may  be  none 
other  than  Petherick's  branch.  It  is  well  known  that 
trading  stations  for  ivory  have  been  established  for 
about  five  hundred  miles  up  Petherick's  branch.  We 
must  remember  this  fact  when  told  that  Gondokoro, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  279 

in  latitude  four  degrees  north,  is  two  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea,  and  latitude  four  degrees  south,  where 
the  Doctor  was  halted,  is  only  a  little  over  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  That  two  rivers,  said  to  be 
two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  separated  from  each 
other  by  eight  degrees  of  latitude,  are  the  same 
stream  may,  among  some  men,  be  regarded  as  a 
startling  statement.  But  we  must  restrain  mere  ex- 
pressions of  surprise  and  take  into  consideration  that 
this  mighty  and  broad  Lualaba  is  a  lacustrine  river 
— broader  than  the  Mississipi — and  think  of  our  own 
rivers,  which,  though  shallow,  are  exceedingly  broad. 
We  must  wait  also  until  the  altitude  of  the  two  riv- 
ers— the  Lualaba,  where  the  Doctor  halted,  and  the 
southern  point  on  the  Bahr  Ghazal,  where  Pether- 
ick  has  been — are  known  with  perfect  accuracy. 

"  Webb's  River,  or  the  Lualaba,  from  Bangweolo  is 
a  lacustrine  river,  expanding  from  one  to  three  miles 
in  breadth.  At  intervals  it  forms  extensive  lakes, 
then  contracting  into  a  broad  river  it  again  forms  a 
a  lake,  and  so  on  to  latitude  four  degrees  north,  and 
beyond  this  point  the  Doctor  heard  of  a  large  lake 
again  north.  Now,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  suppose 
we  give  this  nameless  lake  a  length  of  four  degrees 
latitude,  as  it  may  be  the  one  discovered  by  Piaggia, 
the  Italian  traveller,  from  which  Petherick's  branch 
of  the  White  Nile  issues  out  through  reeds,  marshes, 
and  the  Bahr  Ghazal  into  the  White  Nile  south  of 
Gondokoro.  By  this  method  we  can  suppose  the 
rivers  one — for  the  lakes  extending  over  so  many  de- 
grees of  latitude  would  obviate  the  necessity  of  ex- 
plaining the  differences  of  latitude  that  must  natu- 


28o  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

rally  exist  between  the  points  of  a  river  eight  deg*wo* 
of  latitude  apart.  Also,  that  Livingstone's  instru- 
ments for  observation  and  taking  altitude  may  have 
been  in  error,  and  this  is  very  likely  to  have  been  the 
case,  subjected  as  they  have  been  to  rough  handling 
during  nearly  six  years  of  travel. 

"  Despite  the  apparent  difficulty  about  the  altitude, 
there  is  another  strong  reason  for  believing  Webb's 
River,  or  the  Lualaba,  to  be  the  Nile.  The  water- 
shed of  this  river,  600  miles  of  which  Livingstone  has 
travelled,  is  drained  by  a  valley  which  lies  north  and 
south  between  the  eastern  and  western  ranges  of  the 
watershed.  This  valley  or  line  of  drainage,  while  it 
does  not  receive  the  Kasai  and  the  Quango,  receives 
rivers  flowing  from  a  great  distance  west — for  in- 
stance, the  important  tributaries  Lufira  and  Lomami, 
and  large  rivers  from  the  east,  such  as  the  Lindi  and 
Luamo  ;  and  while  the  most  intelligent  Portuguese 
travellers  and  traders  state  that  the  Kasai,  the  Quan- 
go and  Lubilash  are  the  head  waters  of  the  Congo 
river,  no  one  as  yet  has  started  the  supposition  that 
the  grand  river  flowing  north  and  known  to  the  na- 
tives as  the  Lualaba,  was  the  Congo.  If  this  river 
is  not  the  Nile  where,  then,  are  the  head  waters  of 
the  Nile?  The  small  river  running  out  of  the  Vic- 
toria Nyanza  and  the  river  flowing  out  of  the  little 
Lake  Albert  have  not  sufficient  water  to  form  the 
great  river  of  Egypt.  As  you  glide  down  the  Nile 
and  note  the  Asna,  the  Geraffe,  the  Sobat,  the  Blue 
Nile  and  Atbara,and  follow  the  river  down  to  Egypt, 
it  cannot  fail  to  impress  you  that  it  requires  many 
more  streams,  or  one  large  river,  larger  than  all  yet 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  28 J 

discovered,  to  influence  its  inundations  and  replace 
the  waste  of  its  flow  through  a  thousand  miles  of  des- 
ert. Perhaps  a  more  critical  survey  of  the  Bahr 
Ghazal  would  prove  that  the  Nile  is  influenced  by 
the  waters  that  pour  through  '  the  small  piece  of  wa- 
ter resembling  a  duck  pond  buried  in  a  sea  of  rushes/ 
as  Speke  describes  the  Bahr  Ghazal.  Livinstone's 
discovery  answers  the  question  and  satisfies  the  in- 
telligent hundreds,  who,  though  Bruce  and  Speke  and 
Baker,  each  in  his  turn  had  declared  he  had  found 
the  Nile,  the  only  and  true  Nile  sources,  yet  doubted 
and  hesitated  to  accept  the  enthusiastic  assertions  as 
a  final  solution  of  the  Nile  problem.  Even  yet,  ac- 
cording to  Livingstone  the  Nile  sources  have  not  been 
found  ;  though  he  has  traced  the  Lualaba  through 
seven  degrees  of  latitude  flowing  north,  and  though 
neither  he  nor  I  have  a  particle  of  doubt  of  its  being 
the  Nile,  not  yet  can  the  Nile  question  be  said  to  be 
ended  for  three  reasons — 

First — He  has  heard  of  the  existence  of  four  foun- 
tains, two  of  which  give  birth  to  a  river  flowing 
north — Webb's  River,  or  the  Lualaba ;  two  to  a  river 
flowing  south,  which  is  the  Zambezi.  He  has  heard 
of  these  fountains  repeatedly  from  the  natives. 
Several  times  he  has  been  within  one  hundred  and 
two  hundred  miles  from  them,  but  something  always 
interposed  to  prevent  him  going  to  see  them.  Ac- 
cording to  those  who  have  seen  them,  they  rise  on 
eitheir  side  of  a  mound  or  hill  which  contains  no 
stones.  Some  have  even  called  it  an  ant  hill.  One 
of  these  fountains  is  said  to  be  so  large  that  a  man 
standing  on  one  side  cannot  be  seen  from  the  other. 


282  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

These  fountains  must  be  discovered,  and  their  posi- 
tion taken.  The  Doctor  does  not  suppose  them  to 
lie  south  of  the  feeders  of  Lake  Bangweolo. 

"Second — Webb's  River  must  be  traced  to  its  con- 
nection with  some  portion  of  the  old  Nile. 

"  Third — The  connection  between  the  Tanganyika 
and  the  Albert  Nyanza  must  be  ascertained. 

"  When  these  three  things  have  been  accomplished, 
then,  and  not  till  then,  can  the  mystery  of  the  Nile 
be  explained.  The  two  countries  through  which 
this  marvellous  lacustrine  river — the  Lualaba — flows, 
with  its  manifold  lakes  and  broad  expanses  of  water, 
are  Rua — the  Uruwa  of  Speke — and  Manyema.  For 
the  first  time  Europe  is  made  aware  that  between 
the  Tanganyika  and  the  known  sources  of  the  Congo 
there  exist  teeming  millions  of  the  negro  race  who 
never  saw  or  heard  of  the  white  peoples  who  make 
such  noisy  and  busy  stir  outside  of  Africa.  Upon 
the  minds  of  those  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  see 
the  first  specimen  of  these  remarkable  white  races 
Livingstone  seems  to  have  made  a  favorable  impres- 
sion, though,  through  misunderstanding  his  object 
and  coupling  him  with  the  Arabs  who  make  horrible 
work  there,  his  life  has  been  sought  after  more  than 
once. 

"These  two  extensive  countries,  Rua  and  Man- 
yema, are  populated  by  true  heathens — governed  not 
as  the  sovereignties  of  Karagwah,Wumdi,and  Uganda 
by  despotic  kings,  but  each  village  by  its  own  sultan 
or  lord.  Thirty  miles  outside  of  their  own  immedi- 
ate settlements  the  most  intelligent  of  those  small 
chiefs  seem  to  know  nothing.     Thirty  miles  from  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  283 

Lualaba  there  were  but  few  people  who  had  ever 
heard  of  the  great  river.  Such  ignorance  among  the 
natives  of  their  own  countries,  of  course,  increased 
the  labors  of  Livingstone.  Compared  with  these  all 
tribes  and  nations  in  Africa  with  whom  Livingstone 
came  in  contact  may  be  deemed  civilized.  Yet  in 
the  arts  of  home  manufacture  these  wild  people  of 
Manyema  are  far  superior  to  any  he  had  seen.  When 
other  tribes  and  nations  contented  themselves  with 
hides  and  skins  of  animals  thrown  negligently  over 
their  shoulders  the  people  of  Manyema  manufac- 
tured a  cloth  from  fine  grass  which  may  favorably 
compare  with  the  finest  grass  cloth  of  India.  They 
also  know  the  art  of  dyeing  in  various  colors — 
black,  yellow,  and  purple.  The  Wanguana  or  freed 
men  of  Zanzibar,  struck  with  the  beauty  of  this  fine 
grass  frabric,  eagerly  exchange  their  cotton  cloths 
for  fine  grass  cloth,  and  on  almost  every  black  man 
returned  from  Manyema  I  have  seen  this  native  cloth 
converted  into  elegantly  made  damirs  (Arabic) — 
short  jackets. 

"  These  countries  are  also  very  rich  in  ivory.  The 
fever  for  going  to  Manyema  to  exchange  their 
tawdry  beads  for  the  precious  tusks  of  Manyema  is 
of  the  same  kind  as  that  which  impelled  men  to  the 
gulches  and  placers  of  California,  Colorado,  Mon- 
tana, and  Idaho ;  after  nuggets  to  Australia,  and 
diamonds  to  Cape  Colony.  Manyema  is  at  present 
the  El  Dorado  of  the  Arabs  and  the  Wamrima  tribes. 
It  is  only  about  four  years  since  the  first  Arab  re- 
turned from  Manyema  with  such  wealth  of  ivory  and 
reports  about  the   fabulous    quantities  found  there 


284  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

that  ever  since  the  old  beaten  tracks  of  Karagwah, 
Uganda,  Ufipa,  and   Marungu  have  been   compara- 
tively deserted.     The  people  of  Manyema,  ignorant 
of  the  value  of  the  precious  article,  reared  their  huts 
upon  ivory  stanchions.     Ivory  pillars  and  doors  were 
common  sights  in  Manyema,  and  hearing  of  these  one 
can  no   longer  wonder  at  the  ivory   palace  of  Solo- 
mon.    For  generations  they  had  used  ivory  tusks  as 
doorposts  and   eave    stanchions,  until  they  had  be- 
come perfectly  rotten  and  worthless.    But  the  advent 
of  the    Arabs  soon   taught   them    the   value  of  the 
article.    It  has  now  risen  considerably  in  price,  though 
yet  fabulously  cheap.     At  Zanzibar  the  value  of  ivory 
per  frarsilah  of  thirty-five   pounds  weight    is    from 
fifty  dollars  to  sixty  dollars,  according  to  its  quality 
In  Unyanyembe  it  is  about  one  dollar  and  ten  cents 
per  pound ;  but  in  Manyema  it  may  be  purchased  for 
from  half  a  cent  to  one  and  a  quarter  cent's  worth  of 
copper  per  pound  of  ivory. 

"The  Arabs,  however,  have  the  knack  of  spoiling 
markets  by  their  rapacity  and  wanton  cruelty.  With 
muskets  a  small  party  of  Arabs  are  invincible  against 
such  people  as  those  of  Manyema,  who  until  lately 
never  heard  the  sound  of  a  gun.  The  report  of  a 
musket  inspires  mortal  terror  in  them,  and  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  induce  them  to  face  the  muzzle 
of  a  gun.  They  believe  that  the  Arabs  have  stolen 
the  lightning,  and  that  against  such  people  the  bow 
and  arrow  can  have  but  little  effect.  They  are  by 
no  means  devoid  of  courage,  and  they  have  often 
declared  that  were  it  not  for  the  guns  not  one  Arab 
would  leave  the  country  alive,  which  tends  to  prove 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  287 

that  they  would  willingly  engage  in  fight  with  the  stran- 
gers, who  have  made  themselves  so  detestable,  were 
it  not  that  the  startling  explosion  of  gunpowder  in- 
spires them  with  such  terror. 

"Into  whichever  country  the  Arabs  enter  they 
contrive  to  render  their  name  and  race  abominated. 
But  the  mainspring  of  it  all  is  not  the  Arab's  nature, 
color,  or  name,  but  simply  the  slave  trade.  So  long 
as  the  slave  trade  is  permitted  to  be  kept  up  at  Zan- 
zibar so  long  will  these  otherwise  enterprising  peo- 
ple, the  Arabs,  kindle  against  them  throughout  Africa 
the  hatred  of  the  natives.  The  accounts  which  the 
Doctor  brings  from  that  new  region  are  most  de- 
plorable. He  was  an  unwilling  spectator  of  a  horri- 
ble deed — a  massacre  committed  on  the  inhabitants 
of  a  populous  district — who  had  assembled  in  the 
market  place,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lualaba,  as  they 
had  been  accustomed  to  for  ages.  It  seems  the  Wa- 
Manyema  are  very  fond  of  marketing,  believing  it  to 
be  the  summum  bonum  of  human  enjoyment.  They 
find  unceasing  pleasure  in  chaffering  with  might  and 
main  for  the  least  mite  of  their  currency — the  last 
bead — and  when  they  gain  the  point  to  which  their 
peculiar  talents  are  devoted  they  feel  intensely  hap- 
py. The  women  are  excessively  fond  of  their  mar- 
keting, and  as  they  are  very  beautiful,  the  market 
place  must  possess  considerable  attractions  for  the 
male  sex.  It  was  on  such  a  day,  with  just  such  a 
scene,  that  Tagomoyo,  a  half-caste  Arab,  with  his 
armed  slave  escort,  commenced  an  indiscriminate 
massacre  by  firing  volley  after  volley  into  the  dense 
mass  of  human  beings.  It  is  supposed  that  there 
17 


288  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

were  about  two  thousand  present,  and  at  the  first 
sound  of  the  firing  these  poor  people  all  made  a  rush 
for  their  canoes.  In  the  fearful  hurry  to  avoid  being 
shot  the  canoes  were  paddled  away  by  the  first  for- 
tunate few  who  got  possession  of  them.  Those  that 
were  not  so  fortunate  sprang  into  the  deep  waters  of 
the  Lualaba,  and,  though  many  of  them  became  an 
easy  prey  to  the  voracious  crocodiles  that  swarmed 
to  the  scene,  the  majority  received  their  deaths  from  the 
bullets  of  the  merciless  Tagomoyo  and  his  villainous 
band.  The  Doctor  believes,  as  do  the  Arabs  themselves, 
that  about  four  hundred  people,  mostly  women  and 
children,  lost  their  lives,  while  many  more  were  made 
slaves.  This  scene  is  only  one  of  many  such  which 
he  has  unwillingly  witnessed,  and  he  is  utterly  unable 
to  describe  the  loathing  he  feels  for  the  inhuman 
perpetrators. 

"Slaves  from  Manyema  command  a  higher  price 
than  those  of  any  other  country,  because  of  their  fine 
forms  and  general  docility.  The  women,  the  Doctor 
says  repeatedly,  are  remarkably  pretty  creatures,  and 
have  nothing  except  their  hair  in  common  with  the 
negroes  of  the  West  Coast.  They  are  of  very  light 
color,  have  fine  noses,  well-cut  and  not  over  full  lips, 
and  a  prognathous  jaw  is  uncommon.  These  women 
are  eagerly  sought  after  for  wives  by  the  half-castes 
of  the  East  Coast,  and  even  the  pure  Amani  Arabs 
do  not  disdain  connection  with  them.  To  the  north 
of  Manyema  Livingstone  came  to  a  light-corn  plex- 
ioned  race  of  the  color  of  Portuguese,  or  our  own 
Louisiana  quadroons,  who  are  very  fine  people,  and 
singularly  remarkable  for  commercial  '  cuteness*  and 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  289 

sagacity.  The  women  are  expert  divers  for  oysters, 
which  are  found  in  great  abundance  in  the  Lualaba. 

"  Rua,  at  a  place  called  Katanga,  is  rich  in  copper. 
The  copper  mines  of  this  place  have  been  worked  for 
ages.  In  the  bed  of  a  stream  gold  has  been  found 
washed  down  in  pencil-shaped  lumps  or  particles  as 
large  as  split  peas.  Two  Arabs  have  gone  thither  to 
prospect  for  this  metal,  but  as  they  are  ignorant  of 
the  art  of  gulch  mining  it  is  scarcely  possible  that 
they  will  succeed. 

"  From  these  highly  important  and  interesting  dis- 
coveries Dr.  Livingstone  was  turned  back  when 
almost  on  the  threshold  of  success  by  the  positive 
refusal  of  his  men  to  accompany  him  further.  They 
were  afraid  to  go  unless  accompanied  by  a  large 
force  of  men,  and  as  these  were  not  procurable  in 
Manyema  the  Doctor  reluctantly  turned  his  face 
toward  Ujiji. 

"  It  was  a  long  and  weary  road  back.  The  journey 
had  now  no  interest  for  him.  He  had  travelled  it  be- 
fore when  going  westward,  full  of  high  hopes  and  as- 
pirations, impatient  to  reach  the  goal  which  promised 
him  rest  from  his  labors;  now  returning  unsuccessful, 
baffled  and  thwarted  when  almost  in  sight  of  the  end, 
and  having  to  travel  the  same  road  back  on  foot,  with 
disappointed  expectations  and  defeated  hopes  preying 
on  his  mind,  no  wonder  that  the  brave  old  spirit  al- 
most succumbed  and  the  strong  constitution  almost 
wrecked.  He  arrived  at  Ujiji  October  26,  almost  at 
death  s  door.  On  the  way  he  had  been  trying  to 
cheer  himself  up,  since  he  had  found  it  impossible  to 
contend  against  the  obstinacy  of  his  men,  with  '  it 


29O  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

won't  take  long,  five  or  six  months  more;  it  mat- 
ters not,  since  it  can't  be  helped.  I  have  got  my 
goods  in  Ujiji  and  can  hire  other  people  and  make  a 
new  start.'  These  are  the  words  and  hopes  with 
which  he  tried  to  delude  himself  into  the  idea  that  all 
would  be  right  yet ;  but  imagine,  if  you  can,  the  shock 
he  must  have  suffered  when  he  found  that  the  man  to 
whom  was  entrusted  his  goods  for  safe  keeping  had 
sold  every  bale  for  ivory. 

"  The  evening  of  the  day  Livingstone  had  returned 
to  Ujiji,  Susi  and  Chuma,  two  of  his  most  faithful 
men,  were  seen  crying  bitterly.  The  Doctor  asked 
them  what  ailed  them,  and  was  then  informed  for  the 
first  time  of  the  evil  tidings  that  awaited  him.  Said 
they  : — 'All  our  things  are  sold,  sir.  Shereef  has  sold 
everything  for  ivory.'  Later  in  the  evening  Shereef 
came  to  see  him  and  shamelessly  offered  his  hand, 
with  a  salutatory  '  Yambo.'  Livingstone  refused  his 
hand,  saying  he  could  not  shake  hands  with  a  thief. 
As  an  excuse  Shereef  said  he  had  divined  on  the  Ko- 
ran and  that  had  told  him  the  Hakim  (Arabic  for 
Doctor)  was  dead.  Livingstone  was  now  destitute. 
He  had  just  enough  to  keep  him  and  his  men  alive 
for  about  a  month,  after  which  he  would  be  forced  to 
beg  from  the  Arabs.  He  had  arrived  in  Ujiji  Octo- 
ber 26.  The  Herald  Expedition  arrived  November 
10,  from  the  coast — only  sixteen  days  difference.  Had 
I  not  been  delayed  at  Unyanyembe  by  the  war  with 
Mirambo  I  should  have  gone  on  to  Manyema,  and 
very  likely  have  been  traveling  by  one  road,  while  he 
would  have  been  coming  by  another  to  Ujiji.  Had 
I  gone  on  two  years  ago,  when  I  first  received  the  in- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  2QI 

structions,  I  should  have  lost  him  without  doubt.  But 
I  am  detained  by  a  series  of  circumstances,  which 
chafed  and  fretted  me  considerably  at  that  time,  only 
to  permit  him  to  reach  Ujiji  sixteen  days  before  I 
appeared.  It  was  as  if  we  were  marching  to  meet 
together  at  an  appointed  rendezvous — the  one  from 
the  west,  the  other  from  the  east. 

"  The  Doctor  had  heard  of  a  white  man  being  at 
Unyanyembe,  who  was  said  to  have  boats  with  him, 
and  he  had  thought  he  was  another  traveller  sent  by 
the  French  government  to  replace  Lieutenant  Le 
Sainte,  who  died  from  a  fever  a  few  miles  above  Gon- 
dokoro.  I  had  not  written  to  him  because  I  believed 
him  to  be  dead,  and  of  course  my  sudden  entrance 
into  Ujiji  was  as  great  a  surprise  to  him  as  it  was 
to  the  Arabs.  But  the  sight  of  the  American  flag, 
which  he  saw  waving  in  the  van  of  the  expedition, 
indicated  that  one  was  coming  who  could  speak  his 
own  language,  and  you  know  already  how  the  leader 
was  received." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

LIVINGSTONE  AND  STANLEY  IN  AFRICA. 
[continued.] 

An  Exploration  of  Tanganyika  Lake — Result — Christmas  at  Ujiji — Livingstone 
Proceeds  with  Stanley  to  Unyanyembe — Account  of  the  Journey — Alleged 
Neglect  of  Livingstone  by  the  British  Consulate  at  Zanzibar — Departure  of 
the  Explorer  for  the  Interior,  and  of  Mr.  Stanley  for  Europe. 

It  had  been  supposed  by  Dr.  Livingstone  that  the 
waters  of  Tanganyika  Lake  had  outlet  northward, 
and  that  they  were,  therefore,  a  part  of  the  neces- 
sarily vast  sources  of  the  great  river  of  the  continent 
whose  annual  inundations  are  among  the  most 
wonderful  illustrations  in  nature  of  the  more  than 
majestic  power  of  Almighty  God.  His  many  dis- 
coveries of  great  lakes  and  rivers  far  to  the  westward 
of  Tanganyika,  their  evident  connection  in  a  system, 
similar  to  that  of  the  great  lakes  of  North  America 
at  last  forming  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  flowing  north- 
ward; the  natural  necessity  there  is  for  immense 
sources  of  supply  to  the  Nile — these  and  other  con- 
siderations left  the  explorer  to  imagine  that  Tan- 
ganyika formed  a  part  of  the  same  system  with  that 
lake  which  he  named  after  an  illustrious  President  of 
the  United  States.  The  commander  of  the  "  Her- 
ald" expedition,  therefore,  with  a  fine  appreciation  of 
the  situation,  offered  his  escort  to  Dr.  Livingstone, 
with  a  proposal  to  accompany  him  to  the  head  of  the 

292 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  293 

lake.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  explorer,  as 
Mr.  Stanley  says,  "  like  a  hero,  lost  no  time  in 
starting." 

The  account  of  this  journey,  or  voyage,  rather,  for 
the  party  travelled  by  boat,  is  given  in  a  dispatch 
dated  December  23,  1871,  at  Ujiji.     It  is  as  follows: 

*■  On  the  20th  of  November  Dr.  Livingstone  and 
your  correspondent,  with  twenty  picked  men  of  the 
Herald  Expedition  Corps,  started.  Despite  the  as- 
sertion of  Arabs  that  the  Warundi  were  danger- 
ous and  would  not  let  us  pass,  we  hugged  their  coast 
closely,  and  when  fatigued  boldly  encamped  in  their 
country.  Once  only  were  we  obliged  to  fly — and 
this  was  at  dead  of  night — from  a  large  party  which 
we  knew  to  be  surrounding  us  on  the  land  side.  We 
got  to  the  boat  safely,  and  we  might  have  punished 
them  severely  had  the  Doctor  been  so  disposed. 
Once  also  we  were  stoned,  but  we  paid  no  heed  to 
them  and  kept  on  our  way  along  their  coast  until  we 
arrived  at  Mokamba's,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Usige. 
Mokamba  was  at  war  with  a  neighboring  chief,  who 
lived  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rusizi.  That  did  not 
deter  us,  and  we  crossed  the  head  of  the  Tanganyika 
to  Mugihewah,  governed  by  Ruhinga,  brother  of 
Mokamba. 

"  Mugihewah  is  a  tract  of  country  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Rusizi,  extending  to  the  lake.  With 
Mokamba  and  Ruhinga  we  became  most  intimate  • 
they  proved  to  be  sociable,  good-natured  chiefs,  and 
gave  most  valuable  information  concerning  the 
countries  lying  to  the  north  of  Usige  ;  and  if  the;r 
information   is    correct,    Sir    Samuel    Baker    will    be 


294  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

obliged  to  curtail  the  ambitious  dimensions  of  his 
lake  by  one  degree,  if  not  more.  A  Mgwana,  living 
at  Mokamba's,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  had 
informed  us  that  the  River  Rusizi  certainly  flowed 
out  of  the  lake,  and  after  joining  the  Kitangule 
emptied  into  the  Lake  Nyanza  (Victoria). 

"  When  we  entered  Ruhinga's  territory  of  Mugihe- 
wah,  we  found  ourselves  about  300  yards  from  the 
river  about  which  a  great  deal  has  been  said  and 
written.  At  Unyanyembe  I  was  told  that  the  Rusizi 
was  an  affluent.  At  Ujiji  all  Arabs  but  one  united 
in  saying  the  same  thing,  and  within  ten  miles  of 
the  Rusizi  a  freedman  of  Zanzibar  swore  it  was  an 
affluent. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  day  of  our  de- 
parture from  Ujiji,  we  were  rowed  towards  the  river. 
We  came  to  a  long,  narrow  bay,  fringed  on  all  sides 
with  tall,  dense  reeds  and  swarming  with  crocodiles, 
and  soon  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rusizi.  As  soon 
as  we  had  entered  the  river  all  doubt  vanished  before 
the  strong,  turbid  flood  against  which  we  had  to  con-r 
tend  in  the  ascent.  After  about  ten  minutes  we  en- 
tered what  seemed  a  lagoon,  but  which  was  the  result 
of  a  late  inundation.  About  an  hour  higher  up  the 
river  began  to  be  confined  to  its  proper  banks,  and  is 
about  thirty  yards  broad,  but  very  shallow. 

"  Two  days  higher  up,  Ruhinga  told  us,  the  Rusizi 
was  joined  by  the  Loanda,  coming  from  the  north- 
west. There  could  be  no  mistake  then.  Dr.  Living- 
stone and  myself  had  ascended  it,  had  felt  the  force 
of  the  strong  inflowing  current — the  Rusizi  was  an 
influent,  as  much  so  as  the   Malagarazi,  the  Linche, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  295 

and  Rugufu,  but  with  its  banks  full  it  can  only  be 
considered  as  ranking  third  among  the  rivers  flowing 
into  the  Tanganyika.  Though  rapid  it  is  extremely 
shallow ;  it  has  three  mouths,  up  which  an  ordinary 
ship's  boat  loaded  might  in  vain  attempt  to  ascend. 
Burton  and  Speke,  though  they  ascended  to  within 
six  hours'  journey  by  canoe  from  the  Rusizi,  were 
compelled  to  turn  back  by  the  cowardice  of  the  boat- 
men. Had  they  ascended  to  Meuta's  capital,  they 
could  easily  have  seen  the  head  of  the  lake.  Usige 
is  but  a  district  of  Wumdi,  governed  by  several  small 
chiefs,  who  owe  obedience  to  Mwezi,  the  great  King 
of  Wumdi. 

"  We  spent  nine  days  at  the  head  of  the  Tangan- 
yika exploring  the  islands  and  many  bays  that  indent 
its  shores. 

"In  returning  to  Ujiji  we  coasted  along  the  west 
side  of  the  Tanganyika,  as  far  as  the  country  of  the 
Wasansi,  whom  we  had  to  leave  on  no  amicable  terms, 
owing  to  their  hostility  to  Arabs,  and  arrived  at 
Ujiji  on  the  18th  of  December,  having  been  absent 
twenty-eight  days. 

"  Though  the  Rusizi  River  can  no  longer  be  a  sub- 
ject of  curiosity  to  geographers — and  we  are  certain 
that  there  is  no  connection  between  the  Tanganyika 
and  Baker's  Lake,  or  the  Albert  N'yanza — it  is  not 
yet  certain  that  there  is  no  connection  between  the 
Tanganyika  and  the  Nile  River.  The  western  coast 
has  not  all  been  explored  ;  and  there  is  reason  to 
suppose  that  a  river  runs  out  of  the  Tanganyika 
through  the  deep  caverns  of  Kabogo  Mountain,  far 
under  ground  and  out  on  the  western  side  of  Kabo- 


296  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

go  into  the  Lualaba,  or  the  Nile.  Livingstone  has 
seen  the  river  about  forty  miles  or  so  west  of  Ka- 
boo-o  (about  forty  yards  broad  at  that  place),  but  he 
does  not  know  that  it  runs  out  of  the  mountain. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  many  things  which  he  has  yet 
to  examine." 

It  thus  appearing  that  the  Rusizi  is  an  affluent,  not 
an  effluent,  of  Tanganyika  Lake,  the  expedition 
failed  to  sustain  the  explorer's  hypothesis,  but  added 
a  useful  item  of  geographical  knowledge  to  the  then 
existing  stock.  Nor  does  it  follow  that  because  the 
Rusizi  flows  into  the  Tanganyika,  there  is  no  river 
flowing  out  of  it  into  that  system  of  lakes  which  had 
before  been  discovered  by  the  explorer,  and  of  which 
the  Chambesi — almost  a  system  of  rivers  itself — is  the 
largest  affluent  yet  discovered.  Should  Dr.  Living- 
stone's hypothesis  of  an  effluent  from  the  west  shore 
of  Tanganyika  Lake  not  be  sustained,  and  its  waters 
found  to  procure  outlet  by  Lake  Nyassa  and  the 
Zambesi,  his  future  discoveries  will  in  all  probability 
show  a  similar  formation  of  the  continent  in  east  cen- 
tral Africa  to  that  which  he  discovered  to  be  the  fact 
when  he  explored  Lake  Dilolo  in  the  land  of  the 
Balonda. 

The  explorers  remained  in  Ujiji  until  after  "merry 
Christmas,"  both  engaged  much  of  the  time  in  writ- 
ing accounts  of  their  explorations,  which  have  ap- 
peared or  will  yet  appear  in  this  volume.  Meanwhile, 
they  had  determined  to  make  a  journey  together  to 
Unyanyembe.  This  journey  is  described  in  tele- 
graphic brevity : 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  297 

Kwihara,  Unyanyembe,  February  21,  1872. 

After  spending  Christmas  at  Ujiji  Dr.  Livingstone,  escorted  by  the  New 
York  Herald  Expedition,  composed  of  forty  Wanguana  soldiers,  well  armed, 
left  for  Unyanyembe  on  the  26th  of  December,  1871. 

In  order  to  arrive  safely,  untroubled  by  wars  and  avaricious  tribes,  we  sketched 
out  a  road  to  Unyanyembe,  thus : — 

Seven  days  by  water  south  to  Urimba. 

Ten  days  across  the  uninhabited  forests  of  Kawendi 

Twenty  days  through  Unkonongo,  direct  east. 

Twelve  days  north  through  Unkonongo 

Thence  five  days  into  Unyanyembe,  where  we  arrived  without  adventure  of 
any  kind,  except  killing  zebras,  buffaloes,  and  giraffes,  after  fifty-four  days'  travel. 

The  expedition  suffered  considerably  from  famine,  and  your  correspondent 
from  fever,  but  these  are  incidental  to  the  march  in  this  country. 

The  Doctor  tramped  it  on  foot  like  a  man  of  iron.  On  arrival  at  Unyan- 
yembe I  found  that  the  Englishman  Shaw  whom  I  had  turned  back  as  useless, 
had  about  a  month  after  his  return  succumbed  to  the  climate  of  the  interior  and 
had  died,  as  well  as  two  Wanguana  of  the  expedition  who  had  been  left  behind 
sick.  Thus  during  less  than  twelve  months  William  Lawrence  Farquhar,  of 
Leith,  Scotland,  and  John  William  Shaw,  of  London,  England,  the  two  white 
men  I  had  engaged  to  assist  me,  had  died  •  also  eight  baggage  carriers  and  eight 
soldiers  of  the  expedition  had  died. 

I  was  bold  enough  to  advise  the  Doctor  to  permit  the  expedition  to  escort 
him  to  Unyanyembe,  through  the  country  it  was  made  acquainted  with  while  go- 
ing to  Ujiji,  for  the  reason  that  were  he  to  sit  down  at  Ujiji  until  Mirambo  was 
disposed  of  he  might  remain  a  year  there,  a  prey  to  high  expectations,  ending 
always  in  bitter  disappointment.  I  told  him,  as  the  Arabs  of  Unyanyembe  were 
not  equal  to  the  task  of  conquering  Mirambo,  that  it  were  better  he  should  ac- 
company the  Herald  expedition  to  Unyanyembe,  and  there  take  possession  of 
the  last  lot  of  goods  brought  to  him  by  a  caravan  which  left  the  seacoast  simul- 
taneously with  our  expedition. 

The  Doctor  consented,  and  thus  it  was  that  he  came  so  far  back  as  Unyan- 
yembe. 

The  "  Herald"  correspondent  complains  with  much 
earnestness  that  Dr.  Livingstone  has  been  neglected 
by  the  British  consulate  at  Zanzibar.  Handsomely 
admitting  the  liberality  of  the  British  people  and 
government,  he  has  hearty  denunciations  for  those  in 
authority  at  Zanzibar.  The  contrast  of  their  insuf- 
ficiency with  the  enterprise  of  the  "  Herald"  expe- 
dition is  remarkable.      Mr.   Stanley  says:    "Within 


298  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

the  time  that  the  British  Consul's  men  took  to  con- 
vey Livingstones  goods  and  letters  a  distance  of  only 
525  miles,  the  Herald  Expedition  was  formed,  and 
marched  2,059  English  statute  miles,  and  before  the 
fourteenth  month  of  its  departure  from  the  seacoast 
the  Herald  Expedition  will  have  arrived  at  the  sea- 
coast,  be  paid  off  and  disbanded.  In  the  matter  of 
supplies,  then,  being  sent  to  Livingstone  semi-an- 
nually or  annually  there  is  no  truth  whatever.  The 
cause  is  extreme  apathy  at  Zanzibar  and  the  reckless 
character  of  the  men  sent.  Where  English  gentle- 
men are  so  liberal  and  money  so  plentiful  it  should  be 
otherwise." 

Upon  this  very  delicate  subject  the  "  Herald"  itsell 
editorially  remarks: 

"  On  the  question  of  Livingstone's  having  received 
the  supplies  sent  him  by  his  friends  in  England  these 
letters  will  throw  a  startling  light.  The  carelessness, 
theft,  and  general  mismanagement  which  overtook 
the  stores  forwarded  by  the  British  Consulate  at 
Zanzibar,  usually  wasted  and  frittered  these  almost 
entirely  away  before  they  had  time  to  reach  him.  This 
cannot  be  better  stated  than  in  the  Herald  com- 
mander's words:  'Your  correspondent  begs  to  inform 
his  friends  that  the  Herald  Expedition  found  him 
turned  back  from  his  explorations  when  on  the  eve  of 
being  terminated  thoroughly  by  the  very  men  sent  to 
him  by  the  British  Consulate ;  that  the  Expedition 
found  him  sitting  down  at  Ujiji  utterly  destitute, 
robbed  by  the  very  men  sent  by  the  British  Consul- 
ate at  Zanzibar  with  his  caravan  :  that  the  Herald 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  299 

Expedition  escorted  him  to  Unyanyembe  only  in 
time  to  save  his  last  stock  of  goods,  for  they  were 
rapidly  being  made  away  with  by  the  very  men  en- 
trusted by  the  British  Consulate  with  the  last  lot  of 
goods ;  that  it  was  only  by  an  accident  that  your  cor- 
respondent saw  a  packet  of  letters  addressed  to  Liv- 
ingstone, and  so,  forcibly,  took  one  of  Livingstone's 
men  to  carry  the  letters  to  his  employer/" 

The  commander  of  the  Search  Expedition  supplied 
Dr.  Livingstone  with  such  supplies  as  he  could  com- 
mand, in  which  were  several  bales  of  mixed  cloths, 
about  one  thousand  pounds  of  assorted  beads — all 
this  is  African  money — a  large  quantity  of  brass 
wire,  a  portable  boat,  revolvers,  carbines,  and  ammu- 
nition. 

And  thus  Mr.  Stanley  was  ready  to  depart  for  the 
sea  coast.  Bidding  the  great  explorer  farewell,  he 
left  Kwihara  on  March  14,  1872,  bending  his  course 
toward  Zanzibar  by  the  usual  caravan  track.  At 
Zanzibar  he  forwarded  "  men  and  means"  to  the  ex- 
plorer of  whom  he  had  learned  to  think  so  highly,  by 
the  aid  of  which  he  has  doubtless  been  able  to  make 
his  departure  from  Unyanyembe  with  confident  an- 
ticipations of  success.  And  so,  we  may  be  sure,  the 
iron  man  is  wending  his  way  on  foot  through  the 
wilds  of  Africa,  inflexibly  determined  upon  a  com- 
plete solution  of  the  great  geographical  problem  of 
the  times. 

Meanwhile,  the  chief  of  the  successful  search  expe- 
dition discharged  his  men  at  Zanzibar,  and  by  Horn- 
bay,  thence  to  Aden  in  southwestern  Arabia,  the  Red 
Sea,  and  the  Suez  Canal,  found  his  rapid  way  to  the 


300 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


abodes  of  those  races  of  civilized  men  who  had  been 
astonished  and  gratified  by  the  summary  of  the  re- 
markable success  of  his  enterprise  which  had  pre- 
ceded   him. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DR.  LIVINGSTONE   STILL  IN  AFRICA. 

The  Great  Explorer  Still  in  Search  of  the  Sources  of  the  Nile— His  Letters  to 
the  English  Government  on  His  Explorations — Correspondence  with  Ix>rd 
Stanley,  Lord  Clarendon,  Earl  Granville,  Dr.  Kirk,  and  James  Gordon  Ben- 
nett, Jr. — His  Own  Descriptions  of  Central  Africa  and  the  Supposed  Sources 
of  the  Nile— The  Country  and  People— A  Nation  of  Cannibals— Beautiful 
Women — Gorillas — The  Explorer's  Plans  for  the  Future. 

When  Mr.  Stanley  bade  good-bye  to  Dr.  Living- 
stone in  Unyanyembe,  the  explorer  entrusted  to  the 
care  of  the  corrrespondent  despatches  to  the  govern- 
ment, his  journal,  addressed  to  his  daughter,  and 
copies  of  letters  of  which  former  messengers  had  been 
robbed.  The  letters,  old  and  new,  to  the  representa- 
tive of  the  British  government  at  Zanzibar,  Dr.  Kirk, 
and  to  different  members  of  the  British  cabinet,  were 
allowed  to  be  published.  They  give  a  full  account  of 
Dr.  Livingstone's  explorations  among  the  supposed 
true  sources  of  the  Nile,  and  abundantly  establish  the 
complete  success  of  the  "  Herald"  search  expedition. 
The  letters  to  the  British  authorities  thus  sent  to  the 
press,  August  i, '1872,  through  the  courtesy  of  Earl 
Granville,  were:  1.  A  letter  from  Dr.  Livingstone  to 
Lord  Stanley,  under  date  of  November  15,  1870;  2. 
Two  letters  of  November  1,  1 871,  to  Lord  Clarendon  ; 

3.  A  letter  of  November  14,  1871,  to  Earl  Granville; 

4.  Letter  of  October  30,  1871,  to   Dr.  Kirk,   British 
Consul  at  Zanzibar;  5.  Letter  of  December  18,  1871 

301 


302  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

to  Earl  Granville;  6.  Letter  of  February  20,  1872,  to 
Earl  Granville. 

The  first  of  these  despatches  to  his  government  is 
from  "  Bambarre,  Manyema  country,  say  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  west  of  Ujiji,  Nov.  15,  1870," 
addressed  to  Lord  Stanley,  Secretary  of  State  for 
Foreign  Affairs.  In  this  dispatch,  much  is  contained 
which  Dr.  Livingstone  orally  related  to  Mr.  Stanley, 
of  the  "  Herald,"  and  which  has  already  appeared  in 
this  work.  The  country  of  the  Manyema,  reputed 
cannibals,  is  described  generally  thus: 

"The  country  is  extremely  beautiful,  but  difficult 
to  travel  over.  The  mountains  of  light  gray  granite 
stand  like  islands  in  new  red  sandstone,  and  moun- 
tain and  valley  are  all  clad  in  a  mantle  of  different 
shades  of  green.  The  vegetation  is  indescribably 
rank.  Through  the  grass — if  grass  it  can  be  called, 
which  is  over  half  an  inch  in  diameter  in  the  stalk 
and  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  high — nothing  but  ele- 
phants can  walk.  The  leaves  of  this  megatherium  grass 
are  armed  with  minute  spikes,  whichv  as  we  worm  our 
way  along  elephant  walks,  rub  disagreeably  on  the 
side  of  the  face  where  the  gun  is  held,  and  the  hand 
is  made  sore  by  fending  it  off  the  other  side  for  hours. 
The  rains  were  fairly  set  in  by  November ;  and  in 
the  mornings,  or  after  a  shower,  these  leaves  were 
loaded  with  a  moisture  which  wet  us  to  the  bone. 
The  valleys  are  deeply  undulating,  and  in  each  innu- 
merable dells  have  to  be  crossed.  There  may  be 
only  a  thread  of  water  at  the  bottom,  but  the  mud, 
mire  or  (scottice)  'glaur'  is  grevious;  thirty  or  forty 
yards  of  the  path  on   each  side  of  the  stream   are 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  305 

worked  by  the  feet  of  passengers  into  an  adhesive 
compound.  By  placing  a  foot  on  each  side  of  the 
narrow  way  one  may  waddle  a  little  distance  along, 
but  the  rank  crop  of  grasses,  gingers,  and  bushes  can- 
not spare  the  few  inches  of  soil  required  for  the  side 
of  the  foot,  and  down  he  comes  into  the  slough.  The 
path  often  runs  along  the  bed  of  the  rivulet  for  sixty 
or  more  yards,  as  if  he  who  first  cut  it  out  went  that 
distance  seeking  for  a  part  of  the  forest  less  dense 
for  his  axe.  In  other  cases  the  muale  palm,  from 
which  here,  as  in  Madagascar,  grass  cloth  is  woven 
and  called  by  the  same  name,  '  lamba,'  has  taken  pos- 
session of  the  valley.  The  leaf  stalks,  as  thick  as  a 
strong  man's  arm,  fall  off  and  block  up  all  passage 
save  by  a  path  made  and  mixed  up  by  the  feet  of 
elephants  and  buffaloes ;  the  slough  therein  is  groan- 
compelling  and  deep. 

"  Some  of  the  numerous  rivers  which  in  this  region 
flow  into  Lualaba  are  covered  with  living  vegetable 
bridges — a  species  of  dark  glossy-leaved  grass,  with 
its  roots  and  leaves,  felts  itself  into  a  mat  that  covers 
the  whole  stream.  When  stepped  upon  it  yields 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches,  and  that  amount  of  water 
rises  upon  the  leg.  At  every  step  the  foot  has  to  be 
raised  high  enough  to  place  it  on  the  unbent  mass  in 
front.  This  high  stepping  fatigues  like  walking  on 
deep  snow.  Here  and  there  holes  appear  which  we 
could  not  sound  with  a  stick  six  feet  long;  they  gave 
the  impression  that  anywhere  one  might  plump 
through  and  finish  the  chapter.  Where  the  water  is 
shallow  the  lotus,  or  sacred  lily,  sends  its  roots  to  the 
bottom  and  spreads  its  broad  leaves  over  the  float- 
18 


306  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ing  bridge  so  as  to  make  believe  that  the  mat  is  its 
own,  but  the  grass  referred  to  is  the  real  felting  and 
supporting  agent,  for  it  often  performs  duty  as  bridge 
where  no  lilies  grow.  The  bridge  is  called  by  Man- 
yema  '  kintefwetefwe,'  as  if  he  who  first  coined  it  was 
gasping  for  breath  after  plunging  over  a  mile  of  it. 

"  Between  each  district  of  Manyema  large  belts  of 
the  primeval  forest  still  stand.  Into  these  the  sun, 
though  vertical,  cannot  penetrate,  except  by  sending 
c(own  at  midday  thin  pencils  of  rays  into  the  gloom. 
The  rain  water  stands  for  months  in  stagnant  pools 
made  by  the  feet  of  elephants ;  and  the  dead  leaves 
decay  on  the  damp  soil,  and  make  the  water  of  the 
numerous  rivulets  of  the  color  of  strong  tea.  The 
climbing  plants,  from  the  size  of  whipcord  to  that  of 
a  man-of-war's  hawser,  are  so  numerous  the  ancient 
path  is  the  only  passage.  When  one  of  the  giant 
trees  falls  across  the  road  it  forms  a  wall  breast  high 
to  be  climbed  over,  and  the  mass  of  tangled  ropes 
brought  down  makes  cutting  a  path  round  it  a  work 
of  time  which  travellers  never  undertake." 

At  this  time,  Dr.  Livingstone  was  not  persuaded 
that  the  Manyema  were  men-eaters.  Toward  the 
conclusion  of  his  letter  to  Lord  Stanley,  he  thus  de- 
cribes  them  : 

"  I  lived  in  what  may  be  called  the  Tipperary  of 
Manyema,  and  they  are  certainly  a  bloody  people 
among  themselves.  But  they  are  very  far  from  be- 
ing in  appearance  like  the  ugly  negroes  on  the  West 
Coast.  Finely  formed  heads  are  common,  and 
generally  men  and  women  are  vastly  superior  to  the 
slaves   of    Zanzibar   and   elsewhere.     We   must   go 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    AFRICA.  307 

deeper  than  phrenology  to  account  for  their  low 
moral  tone.  If  they  are  cannibals  they  are  not  os- 
tentatiously so.  The  neighboring  tribes  all  assert 
that  they  are  men-eaters,  and  they  themselves 
laughingly  admit  the  charge.  But  they  like  to  im- 
pose on  the  credulous,  and  they  showed  the  skull  of 
a  recent  victim  to  horrify  one  of  my  people.  I  found 
it  to  be  the  skull  of  a  gorilla,  or  soko — the  first  I 
knew  of  its  existence  here — and  this  they  do  eat. 
If  I  had  believed  a  tenth  of  what  I  heard  from  trad- 
ers, I  might  never  have  entered  the  country.  Their 
people  told  tales  with  shocking  circumstantiality,  as 
if  of  eye  witnesses,  that  could  not  be  committed  to 
paper,  or  even  spoken  about  beneath  the  breath. 
Indeed,  one  wishes  them  to  vanish  from  memory. 
I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind 
whether  the  Manyema  are  cannibals  or  not.  I  have 
offered  goods  of  sufficient  value  to  tempt  any  of 
them  to  call  me  to  see  a  cannibal  feast  in  the  dark 
forests  where  these  orgies  are  said  to  be  held,  but 
hitherto  in  vain.  All  the  real  evidence  yet  obtained 
would  elicit  from  a  Scotch  jury  the  verdict  only  of 
'not  proven/" 

The  second  despatch,  a  year  later,  is  devoted  to  the 
expression  of  thanks  to  Lord  Clarendon,  on  account 
of  the  expedition  of  search  under  Mr.  Young,  of 
which  an  account  has  already  been  given,  to  an  ex- 
planation of  Ali  Moosa's  story  of  the  explorer's 
death,  and  an  earnest  request  that  the  money  ex- 
pended on  him  and  his  fellow-imposters  might  be  re- 
gained. 

The  third  document  of  the  series,  being  also  a  let- 


308  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ter  to  Lord  Clarendon,  presents  an  account  of  Dr» 
Livingstone's  explorations  and  views  on  the  water- 
shed of  the  Nile  more  in  extenso  than  anywhere  else 
given.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  valuable  contributions  to  modern  science.  The 
readers  of  this  volume  cannot  but  feel  that  a  large 
share  of  this  interesting  document  may  appropriately 
be  quoted  here. 

"  I  have  ascertained  that  the  watershed  of  the  Nile 
is  a  broad  upland  between  ten  degrees  and  twelve  de- 
grees south  latitude,  and  from  4,000  to  5,000  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea:  Mountains  stand  on  it  at 
various  points,  which,  though  not  apparently  very 
high,  are  between  6,000  and  7,000  feet  of  actual  alti- 
tude. The  watershed  is  over  700  miles  in  length, 
from  west  to  east.  The  springs  that  rise  on  it  are 
almost  innumerable — that  is,  it  would  take  a  large 
part  of  a  man's  life  to  count  them.  A  bird's-eye  view 
of  some  parts  of  the  watershed  would  resemble  the 
frost  vegetation  on  window  panes.  They  all  begin 
in  an  ooze  at  the  head  of  a  slightly  depressed  valley. 
A  few  hundred  yards  down  the  quantity  of  water  from 
oozing  earthen  sponge  forms  a  brisk  perennial  burn 
or  brook  a  few  feet  broad,  and  deep  enough  to  re- 
quire a  bridge.  These  are  the  ultimate  or  primary 
sources  of  the  great  rivers  that  flow  to  the  north  in 
the  great  Nile  valley.  The  primaries  unite  and  form 
streams  in  general  larger  than  the  Isis  at  Oxford  or 
Avon  at  Hamilton,  and  may  be  called  secondary 
sources.  They  never  dry,  but  unite  again  into  four 
large  lines  of  drainage,  the  head  waters  or  mains  of 
the  river  of  Egypt.     These  four  are  each  called  by 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  3O9 

the  natives  Lualaba,  which,  if  not  too  pedantic,  may 
be  spoken  of  as  lacustrine  rivers,  extant  specimens  of 
those  which,  in  pre-historic  times,  abounded  in  Af- 
rica, and  which  in  the  south  are  still  called  by  Bechu- 
anas  '  Melapo,'  in  the  north,  by  Arabs,  *  Wadys  ;'  both 
words  meaning  the  same  thing — river  bed  in  which 
no  water  ever  now  flows.  Two  of  the  four  great  riv- 
ers mentioned  fall  into  the  central  Lualaba,  or 
Webb's  Lake  River,  and  then  we  have  but  two  main 
lines  of  drainage  as  depicted  nearly  by  Ptolemy. 

"  In  passing  over  sixty  miles  of  latitude  I  waded 
thirty-two  primary  sources  from  calf  to  waist  deep, 
and  requiring  from  twenty  minutes  to  an  hour  and 
a  quarter  to  cross  stream  and  sponge.  This  would 
give  about  one  source  to  every  two  miles.  A  Sua- 
faeli  friend  in  passing  along  part  of  the  Lake  Bang- 
weolo  during  six  days  counted  twenty-two  from  thigh 
to  waist  deep,  This  lake  is  on  the  watershed,  for  the 
village  at  which  I  observed  on  its  northwest  shore 
was  a  few  seconds  into  eleven  degrees  south.  I  tried 
to  cross  it  in  order  to  measure  the  breadth  accu- 
rately. The  first  stage  to  an  inhabted  island  was 
about  twenty-four  miles.  From  the  highest  point 
here  the  tops  of  the  trees,  evidently  lifted  by  the 
mirage,  could  be  seen  on  the  second  stage  and  the 
third  stage ;  the  mainland  was  said  to  be  as  far  as 
this  beyond  it.  But  my  canoe  men  had  stolen  the 
canoe  and  got  a  hint  that  the  real  owners  were  in 
pursuit,  and  got  into  a  flurry  to  return  home. 

"  The  length  of  this  lake  is,  at  a  very  moderate  es- 
timate, 150  miles.  It  gives  forth  a.  large  body  of  wa- 
ter in  the  Luapula  ;  yet  lakes  are  in  no  sense  sources, 


3IC  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

for  no  large  river  begins  in  a  lake ;  but  this  and  otn- 
ers  serve  an  important  purpose  in  the  phenomena  of 
the  Nile.     It  is  one  large  lake,  and,  unlike  the  Okara, 
which,  according  to  Suaheli,  who  travelled  long  in  our 
company,  is  three  or  four  lakes  run   into  one  huge 
Victoria  Nianza,  gives  out  a  large  river  which,  on  de- 
parting out  of  Moero,  is  still  larger.     These  men  had 
spent  many  years  east  of  Okara,  and  could  scarcely 
be  mistaken  in  saying  that  of  the  three  or  four  lakes 
there  only  one  (the  Okara)  gives  off  its  waters  to  the 
north.     The  '  White  Nile'  of  Speke,  less  by  a  full  half 
than  the  Shire  out  of  Nyassa  (for  it  is  only  eighty  or 
niety  yards  broad),  can  scarcely  be  named  in  compar- 
ison with  the  central  or  Webb's  Lualaba,  of  from  two 
thousand  to  six  thousand  yards,  in  relation  to  the 
phenomena  of  the  Nile.     The  structure  and  economy 
of  the  watershed  answer  very  much  the  same  end  as 
the  great  lacustrine  rivers,  but   I   cannot  at  present 
copy  a   lost    despatch   which    explained   that.     The 
mountains    on   the    watershed    are    probably    what 
Ptolemy,  for  reasons  now  unknown,  called  the  Moun- 
tains of  the  Moon.     From  their  bases  I  found  that 
the   springs  of  the    Nile    do    unquestionably   arise. 
This  is  just  what  Ptolemy  put  down,  and  is  true  ge- 
ography.    We  must  accept  the  fountains,  and  nobody 
but  Philistines  will  reject  the  mountains,  though  we 
cannot  conjecture  the  reason  for  the  name. 

"  Before  leaving  the  subject  of  the  watershed,  I 
may  add  that  I  know  about  six  hundred  miles  of  it, 
but  am  not  yet  satisfied,  for  unfortunately  the  seventh 
hundred  is  the  most  interesting  of  the  whole.  I  have 
a  very  strong  impression   that  in  the   last  hundred 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  311 

miles  the  tountains  of  the  Nile,  mentioned  to  Hero- 
dotus by  the  Secretary  of  Minerva  in  the  city  of  Sais 
do  arise,  not  like  all  the  rest,  from  oozing  earthen 
sponges,  but  from  an  earthen  mound,  and  half  the 
water  flows  northward  to  Egypt,  the  other  half  south 
to  Inner  Ethiopia.  These  fountains,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance off,  become  large  rivers,  though  at  the  mound 
they  are  not  more  than  ten  miles  apart.  That  is,  one 
fountain  rising  on  the  northeast  of  the  mound  be- 
comes Bartle  Frere's  Lualaba,  and  it  flows  into  one 
of  the  lakes  proper,  Kamolondo,  of  the  central  line  of 
drainage  ;  Webb's  Lualaba,  the  second  fountain  rising 
on  the  Northwest,  becomes  (Sir  Paraffin)  Young's 
Lualaba,  which  passing  through  Lake  Lincoln  and 
becoming  Loeki  or  Lomame,  and  joining  the  central 
line  too,  goes  north  to  Egypt.  The  third  fountain  on 
the  southwest,  Palmerston's,  becomes  the  Liambia  or 
Upper  Zambesi ;  while  the  fourth,  Oswell's  fountain, 
becomes  the  Kafue  and  falls  into  Zambesi  in  Inner 
Ethiopia. 

"  More  time  has  been  spent  in  the  exploration  than 
I  ever  anticipated.  Many  a  weary  foot  I  trod  ere  I 
got  a  clear  idea  of  the  drainage  of  the  great  Nile 
valley.  The  most  intelligent  natives  and  traders 
thought  that  all  the  rivers  of  the  upper  part  of  that 
valley  flowed  into  Tanganyika.  But  the  barometers 
told  me  that  to  do  so  the  water  must  flow  up  hill. 
The  great  rivers  and  the  great  lakes  all  make  their 
waters  converge  into  the  deep  trough  of  the  valley, 
which  is  a  full  inch  of  the  barometer  lower  than  the 
Upper  Tanganyika. 

"  Let  me  explain,  but  in  no  boastful  style,  the  mis- 


3i2 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


takes  of  others  who  have  bravely  striven  to  solve 
the  ancient  problem,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  I  have 
cogent  reasons  for  following  the  painful,  plodding  in- 
vestigation to  its  conclusion.  Poor  Speke's  mis- 
take was  a  foregone  conclusion.  When  he  discov- 
ered the  Victoria  Nyansa  he  at  once  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  that  therein  lay  the  sources  of  the  river 
of  Egypt,  ■  20,000  square  miles  of  water/  confused 
by  sheer  immensity.  Ptolemy's  small  lake,  '  Coloc/ 
is  a  more  correct  representation  of  the  actual  size  of 
that  one  of  three  or  four  lakes  which  alone  sends 
its  outflow  to  the  north.  Its  name  is  Okara.  Lake 
Kavirondo  is  three  days  distant  from  it,  but  con- 
nected by  a  narrow  arm.  Lake  Naibash,  or  Neibash, 
is  four  days  from  Kavirondo.  Baringo  is  ten  days 
distant,  and  discharges  by  a  river,  the  Nagardabash, 
to  the  northeast. 

"  These  three  or  four  lakes,  which  have  been  de- 
scribed by  several  intelligent  Suaheli,  who  have  lived 
for  many  years  on  their  shores,  were  run  into  one 
huge  Victoria  Nyanza.  But  no  sooner  did  Speke 
and  Grant  turn  their  faces  to  this  lake,  to  prove  that 
it  contained  the  Nile  fountains,  than  they  turned 
their  backs  to  the  springs  of  the  river  of  Egypt, 
which  are  between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred 
miles  south  of  the  most  southerly  portion  of  the  Vic- 
toria Lake.  Every  step  of  their  heroic  and  really 
splendid  achievement  of  following  the  river  down 
took  them  further  and  further  from  the  sources  they 
sought.  But  for  the  devotion  to  the  foregone  con- 
clusion the  sight  of  the  little  'White  Nile/  as  un- 
able to  account  for  the  great  river,  they  must  have 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  315 

turned  off  to  the  west  down  into  the  deep  trough 
of  the  great  valley,  and  there  found  lacustrine  rivers 
amply  sufficient  to  account  for  the  Nile  and  all  its 
phenomena. 

"  But  all  that  can  in  modern  times  and  in  common 
modesty  be  fairly  claimed  is  the  rediscovery  of  what 
had  sunk  into  oblivion,  like  the  circumnavigation  of 
Africa  by  the  Phoenician  admirals  of  one  of  the 
Pharaohs  about  B.  C.  600.  He  was  not  believed 
because  he  reported  that  in  passing  round  Libya  he 
had  the  sun  on  his  right  hand.  This,  to  us  who  have 
gone  round  the  Cape  from  east  to  west,  stamps  his 
tale  as  genuine.  The  predecessors  of  Ptolemy 
probably  gained  their  information  from  men  who 
visited  this  very  region,  for  in  the  second  century  of 
our  era  he  gave  in  substance  what  we  now  find  to  be 
genuine  geography. 

"  The  geographical  results  of  four  arduous  trips  in 
different  directions  in  the  Manyema  country  are 
briefly  as  follows  : — The  great  river,  Webb's  Lualaba, 
in  the  center  of  the  Nile  valley,  makes  a  great  bend 
to  the  west,  soon  after  leaving  Lake  Moero,  of  at 
least  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles;  then,  turning  to 
the  north  for  some  distance,  it  makes  another  large 
sweep  west  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles, 
in  the  course  of  which  about  thirty  miles  of  southing 
are  made ;  it  then  draws  round  to  northeast,  receives 
the  Lomani,  or  Loeki,  a  large  river  which  flows 
through  Lake  Lincoln.  After  the  union  a  large  lake 
is  formed,  with  many  inhabited  islands  in  it ;  but  this 
has  still  to  be  explored.  It  is  the  fourth  large  lake 
in  the  central  line  of  drainage,  and  cannot  be  Lake 


314  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Albert;  for,  assuming  Speke's  longitude  of  Ujiji  to 
be  pretty  correct,  and  my  reckoning  not  enormously 
wrong,  the  great  central  lacustrine  river  is  about  five 
degrees  west  of  Upper  and  Lower  Tanganyika. 

"  Beyond  the  fourth  lake  the  water  passes,  it  is  said, 
into  large  reedy  lakes,  and  is  in  all  probability  Peth- 
erick's  branch — the  main  stream  of  the  Nile — in  dis- 
tinction from  the  smaller  eastern  arm  which  Speke, 
Grant,  and  Baker  took  to  be  the  river  of  Egypt.  In 
my  attempts  to  penetrate  further  and  further  I  had 
but  little  hope  of  ultimate  success,  for  the  great 
amount  of  westing  led  to  a  continued  effort  to  sus- 
pend the  judgment,  lest,  after  all,  I  might  be  exploring 
the  Congo  instead  of  the  Nile,  and  it  was  only  after 
the  two  great  western  drains  fell  into  the  central 
main,  and  left  but  the  two  great  lacustrine  rivers  of 
Ptolemy,  that  I  felt  pretty  sure  of  being  on  the  right 
track. 

"  The  great  bends  west  probably  form  one  side  of 
the  great  rivers  above  that  geographical  loop,  the 
other  side  being  Upper  Tanganyika  and  the  Lake 
River  Albert.  A  waterfall  is  reported  to  exist  be- 
tween Tanganyika  and  Albert  Nyanza,  but  I  could 
not  go  to  it ;  nor  have  I  seen  the  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  two — the  upper  side  of  the  loop — though 
I  believe  it  exists. 

"  The  Manyema  are  certainly  cannibals,  but  it  was 
long  ere  I  could  get  evidence  more  positive  than 
would  have  led  a  Scotch  jury  to  give  a  verdict  of 
not  proven.'  They  eat  only  enemies  killed  in  war; 
they  seem  as  if  instigated  by  revenge  in  their  man- 
eating  orgies,  and  on  these  occasions  they  do  not  like 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  3X5 

a  stranger  to  see  them.  I  offered  a  large  reward  in 
vain  to  any  one  who  would  call  me  to  witness  a  can- 
ibal  feast.  Some  intelligent  men  have  told  me  that 
the  meat  is  not  nice  and  made  them  dream  of  the 
dead.  The  women  never  partake,  and  I  am  glad  of 
it,  for  many  of  them  far  down  Lualaba  are  very 
pretty ;  they  bathe  three  or  four  times  a  day  and  are 
expert  divers  for  oysters. 

u  Markets  are  held  at  stated  times  and  the  women 
attend  them  in  large  numbers,  dressed  in  their  best. 
They  are  light  colored,  have  straight  noses,  finely 
formed  heads,  small  hands  and  feet  and  perfect  forms; 
they  are  keen  traders,  and  look  on  the  market  as  a 
great  institution;  to  haggle  and  joke  and  laugh  and 
cheat  seem  the  enjoyments  of  life.  The  population, 
especially  west  of  the  river,  is  prodigiously  large. 

"  Near  Lomani  the  Bakuss  or  Bakoons  cultivate 
coffee,  and  drink  it  highly  scented  with  vanilla.  Food 
of  all  kinds  is  extremely  abundant  and  cheap.  The 
men  smelt  iron  from  the  black  oxide  ore,  and  are 
very  good  smiths ;  they  also  smelt  copper  from  the 
ore  and  make  large  ornaments  very  cheaply.  They 
are  generally  fine,  tall,  strapping  fellows,  far  superior 
to  the  Zanzibar  slaves,  and  nothing  of  the  West  Coast 
negro,  from  whom  our  ideas  of  Africans  are  chiefly 
derived,  appears  among  them ;  no  prognathous  jaws, 
barndoor  mouth,  nor  lark  heels  are  seen.  Their  de- 
fects arise  from  absolute  ignorance  of  all  the  world. 

"  There  is  not  a  single  great  chief  in  all  Manyema. 
No  matter  what  name  the  different  divisions  of  peo- 
ple bear — Manyema,  Balegga,  Babire,  Bazire,  Bokoos 
— there   is  no  political  cohesion ;  not  one   king   or 


31 6  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA 


J 


kingdom.  Each  head  man  is  independent  of  every 
other.  The  people  are  industrious,  and  most  of  them 
cultivate  the  soil  largely.  We  found  them  every 
where  very  honest.  When  detained  at  Bambarre  we 
had  to  send  our  goats  and  fowls  to  the  Manyema 
villages  to  prevent  them  being  all  stolen  by  the  Zan- 
zibar slaves. 

"  Manyema  land  is  the  only  country  in  Central 
Africa  I  have  seen  where  cotton  is  not  cultivated, 
spun,  and  woven.  The  clothing  is  that  known  in 
Madagascar  as  '  lambas'  or  grass  cloth,  made  from 
the  leaves  of  the  '  Muale'  palm." 

This  despatch,  it  will  be  observed,  is  about  a  year 
later  than  the  one  to  Lord  Stanley,  in  which  the 
statement  occurs  that  the  fact  as  to  whether  the  Man- 
yema were  man-eaters  was  "not  proven,"  though  the 
explorer  observed  that  they  ate  the  gorilla,  of  which 
beast  Dr.  Livingstone  evidently  has  a  rather  favora- 
ble opinion,  as  respects  his  disposition,  and  as  surely 
holds  his  gross  stupidity  as  clearly  demonstrated.  In 
the  development  of  instinct,  there  appear  to  be  sev- 
eral animals  in  Africa  approaching  nearer  the  capa- 
city of  reflection  than  the  gorilla. 

The  next  despatch  is  to  Earl  Granville,  and  is 
dated  at  Ujiji,  November,  1871.  It  is  almost  wholly 
official,  and  relates  in  a  clear  and  most  forcible  man- 
ner, the  insurmountable  difficulties  by  reason  of  which 
he  had  been  forced  to  cease  explorations  at  a  time 
when  a  little  longer  work  would  most  probably  have 
been  crowned  with  complete  success.  It  is  in  this 
despatch  that  Dr.  Livingstone  relates  the  particulars 
of  the  horrid  massacre  at   Nyanme,  the  fearful  out- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  317 

lines  of  which  have  appeared  in  Mr.  Stanley's  letter, 
already  quoted.  On  his  return  to  Ujiji,  Dr.  Living- 
stone narrowly  escaped  death  three  times  in  a  single 
day  from  the  savages,  who  would  not  be  persuaded 
that  he  did  not  belong  to  "  the  traders"  guilty  of  the 
massacre. 

The  despatch  to  Dr.  Kirk,  Consul  at  Zanzibar,  is  of 
interest,  as  showing  how  the  explorer  had  been  an- 
noyed, pained,  and  his  plans  frustrated  by  the  ineffi- 
ciency of  those  charged  with  sending  him  supplies 
from  Zanzibar.  In  view  of  the  dispute  that  has  arisen 
upon  this  subject  among  certain  representatives  of 
public  opinion  in  the  United  States  and  England,  it 
may  be  well  to  show  whether  Dr.  Livingstone  himself 
thought  he  had  been  well  or  ill  treated.  In  a  post- 
script to  this  communicaiton,  he  says,  with  evident  re- 
luctance and  evident  feeling : 

"  P.  S. — November  16,  1871. — I  regret  the  neces- 
sity of  bringing  the  foregoing  very  unpleasant  sub- 
ject before  you,  but  I  have  just  received  letters  and 
information  which  make  the  matter  doubly  serious. 
Mr.  Churchill  informed  me  by  a  letter  of  September 
19,  1870,  that  Her  Majesty's  government  had  most 
kindly  sent  ^1,000  for  supplies,  to  be  forwarded  to 
me.  Some  difficulties  had  occurred  to  prevent  ^"500 
worth  from  starting,  but  in  the  beginning  of  Novem- 
ber all  were  removed.  But  it  appears  that  you  had 
recourse  to  slaves  again,  and  one  of  these  slaves  in- 
forms me  that  goods  and  slaves  all  remained  at 
Bagamoio  four  months,  or  till  near  the  end  of  Feb- 
uary,  1871.  No  one  looked  near  them  during  that 
time,  but  a  rumor  reached  them  that  the  Consul  was 


-Tg  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

coming,  and  off  they  started,  two  days  before  your 
arrival,  not  on  their  business,  but  on  some  private 
trip  of  your  own.  These  slaves  came  to  Unyan- 
yembe  in  May  last,  and  there  they  lay  till  war  broke 
out  and  gave  them,  in  July,  a  good  excuse  to  lie  there 
still. 

"  A  whole  year  has  thus  been  spent  in  feasting 
slaves  on  ^"500  sent  by  government  to  me.  Like 
the  man  who  was  tempted  to  despair  when  he 
broke  the  photograph  of  his  wife,  I  feel  inclined  to 
relinquish  hope  of  ever  getting  help  from  Zanzibar 
to  finish  the  little  work  I  have  still  to  do.  I  wanted 
men,  not  slaves,  and  free  men  are  abundant  at  Zanzi- 
bar; but  if  the  matter  is  committed  to  Ludha  in- 
stead of  an  energetic  Arab,  with  some  little  superin- 
tendence by  your  dragoman  or  others,  I  may  wait 
twenty  years  and  your  slaves  feast  and  fail. 

D.  L. 

"  I  will  just  add  that  the  second  batch  of  slaves 
had,  like  the  first,  two  freemen  as  the  leaders,  and 
one  died  of  smallpox.  The  freemen  in  the  first  party 
■of  slaves  were  Shereef  and  Awathe.  I  enclose 
also  a  shameless  overcharge  in  Ludha's  bill, 
$364  06^.— D.  L. 

This  should  appear  to  be  a  complete  justification 
of  Mr.  Stanley's  energetic  animadversions  upon  the 
general  maladministration  of  affairs  at  Zanzibar  by 
the  British  Consulate  there  so  far  as  they  were  re- 
lated to  Dr.  Livingstone.  It  should  be  a  source  of 
honest  congratulation  to  every  American  that  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  representing  one  of  the 
most  widely  circulated  public  journals  of  the  nation. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  3I9 

energetically  sent  forward  "  men,  not  slaves,"  and  fur- 
nished supplies  by  means  of  which,  it  may  reason- 
ably be  expected,  the  explorer  may  proceed  with  his 
great  work  and  accomplish  the  object  so  dear  to  his 
admirable  ambition. 

Dr.  Livingstone's  next  dispatch  is  to  Earl  Granville, 
from  Ujiji,  December  18,  1871.  It  is  almost  wholly 
of  an  official  nature,  containing  his  theory,  already 
herein  set  forth,  of  the  watershed  of  the  Nile,  but  con- 
tains a  paragraph  relating  the  arrival  of  the  "  Herald" 
expedition,  which  is  well  worthy  of  quotation  : 

"A  vague  rumor  reached  Ujiji  in  the  beginning  of 
last  month  that  an  Englishman  had  come  to  Unyan- 
yembe  with  boats,  horses,  men,  and  goods  in  abund- 
ance. It  was  in  vain  to  conjecture  who  this  could 
be ;  and  my  eager  inquiries  were  met  by  answers  so 
contradictory  that  I  began  to  doubt  if  any  stranger 
had  come  at  all.  But  one  day,  I  cannot  say  which, 
for  I  was  three  weeks  too  fast  in  my  reckoning,  my 
man  Susi  came  dashing  up  in  great  excitement,  and 
gasped  out,  'An  Englishman  coming ;  see  him  P  and 
off  he  ran  to  meet  him.  The  American  flag  at  the 
head  of  the  caravan  told  me  the  nationality  of  the 
stranger.  It  was  Henry  M.  Stanley,  the  travelling 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  ■  Herald,'  sent  by 
the  son  of  the  editor,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.,  at 
an  expense  of  ,£5,000,  to  obtain  correct  information 
about  me  if  living,  and  if  dead  to  bring  home  my 
bones.  The  kindness  was  extreme,  and  made  my 
whole  frame  thrill  with  excitement  and  gratitude.  I 
had  been  left  nearly  destitute  by  the  moral  idiot 
Shereef  selling  off  my  goods  for  slaves  and  ivory  for 


320  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

himself.  My  condition  was  sufficiently  forlorn,  for  I 
had  but  a  few  articles  of  barter  left  of  what  I  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  leave  here,  in  case  of  extreme 
need.  The  strange  news  Mr.  Stanley  had  to  tell  to 
one  for  years  out  of  communication  with  the  world 
was  quite  reviving.  Appetite  returned,  and  in  a 
week  I  began  to  feel  strong.  Having  men  and  goods, 
and  information  that  search  for  an  outlet  of  the  Tan- 
ganyika was  desired  by  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  we 
went  for  a  month's  cruise  down  its  northern  end. 
This  was  a  pleasure  trip  compared  to  the  weary 
tramping  of  all  the  rest  of  my  work ;  but  an  outflow 
we  did  not  find." 

The  opening  paragraph  of  the  dispatch  from  which 
this  is  taken  is  so  finely  characteristic,  that  it  should 
not  be  omitted.  Dr.  Livingstone  began  his  letter  to 
Lord  Clarendon's  successor  in  this  beautifully  cour- 
teous manner: 

"My  Lord — The  despatch  of  Lord  Clarendon,  dated 
31st  May,  1870,  came  to  this  place  on  the  13th  ult., 
and  its  very  kindly  tone  and  sympathy  afforded  me  a 
world  of  encouragement.  Your  lordship  will  excuse 
me  in  saying  that  with  my  gratitude  there  mingled 
sincere  sorrow  that  the  personal  friend  who  signed  it 
was  no  more." 

The  last  of  these  despatches  of  the  explorer  was 
the  longest,  and,  perhaps,  the  most  worthy  of  his 
fame.  Addressed  to  Earl  Granville,  it  was  a  clear, 
full  statement  of  the  prevalence  of  the  African  slave 
trade  and  a  terrible  denunciaton  of  it,  together  with  a 
proposition 'J  which,"  he  says,  "  I  have  very  much  at 
heart — the   possibility    of  encouraging    the     native 


MAP  OF  THE  WATERSHED  OF  AFRICA. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  323 

Christians  of  English  settlements  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa,  to  remove,  by  voluntary  emigration,  to  a 
healthy  spot  on  this  side  the  continent."  There  are 
in  Zanzibar  a  considerable  number  of  British  subjects 
from  India,  called  Banians.  They  are,  like  all  Brit- 
ish subjects,  prohibited  from  engaging  in  the  slave 
trade,  but  shrewdly  managing  to  throw  the  responsi- 
bility upon  the  Arabs,  they  are  in  fact  responsible  for 
the  slave  trade  of  Zanzibar  and  all  the  horrible 
"  slaving"  of  East  Africa.  "  The  Manyema  cannibals," 
says  Dr.  Livingstone,  in  this  dispatch  to  Earl  Gran- 
ville, "  among  whom  I  spent  nearly  two  years,  are 
innocents  compared  with  our  protected  Banian  fel- 
low-subjects. By  their  Arab  agents  they  compass 
the  destruction  of  more  human  lives  in  one  year  than 
the  Manyema  do  for  their  fleshpots  in  ten."  "  Slaves 
are  not  bought,"  he  says  in  another  place,  "  in  the 
countries  to  which  the  Banian  agents  proceed.  In- 
deed it  is  a  mistake  to  call  the  system  of  Ujiji  'slave 
trade'  at  all;  the  captives  are  not  traded  for,  but 
murdered  for,  and  the  gangs  which  are  dragged  coast- 
wise are  usually  not  slaves,  but  captive  free  people." 
To  eradicate  this  fearful  wrong,  the  practical  remedy 
proposed  by  the  explorer  in  his  letter  to  Earl  Gran- 
ville is  encouragement  by  the  British  government  to 
the  voluntary  emigration  of  native  Christians  from 
the  English  settlements  of  the  West  Coast  to  the 
East  Coast.  In  reply  to  the  argument  of  the  un- 
healthfulness  of  this  portion  of  Africa  he  says  that 
the  fevers  are  bad  enough  indeed,  but  that  very  much 
more  of  the  disease  prevailing  is  due  to  intemperance 
and  gross  licentiousness  than  fever.  The  whole  dis- 
19 


324  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

patch  is  a  demonstration  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  earnest 
piety,  humanity,  and  practical  sagacity.  If  there  are 
some  passages  in  it  which  show  that  his  Highland 
blood  is  up,  they  may  be  attributed  to  a  fiery  hatred 
of  injustice. 

These  quotations  from  Dr.  Livingstone's  letters  of 
this  important  period  of  his  life  will  be  appropriately 
concluded  with  his  letter  of  thanks  to  the  editor  of 
the  "Herald": 

"  Ujiji,  on  Tanganyika,      ) 
"East  Africa,  November,  1871.  j 
"James  Gordon  Bennett,  Esq.,  Jr.: — 

"  My  Dear  Sir — It  is  in  general  somewhat  difficult 
to  write  to  one  we  have  never  seen — it  feels  so  much 
like  addressing  an  abstract  idea — but  the  presence  of 
your  representative,  Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley,  in  this  distant 
region  takes  away  the  strangeness  I  should  otherwise 
have  felt,  and  in  writing  to  thank  you  for  the  extreme 
kindness  that  prompted  you  to  send  him,  I  feel  quite 
at  home. 

"  If  I  explain  the  forlorn  condition  in  which  he 
found  me  you  will  easily  perceive  that  I  have  good 
reason  to  use  very  strong  expressions  of  gratitude. 
I  came  to  Ujiji  off  a  tramp  of  between  four  hundred 
and  five  hundred  miles,  beneath  a  blazing  vertical  sun, 
having  been  baffled,  worried,  defeated  and  forced  to 
return,  when  almost  in  sight  of  the  end  of  the  geo- 
graphical part  of  my  mission,  by  a  number  of  half- 
caste  Moslem  slaves  sent  to  me  from  Zanzibar,  in- 
stead of  men.  The  sore  heart  made  still  sorer  by  the 
woful  sights  I  had  seen  of  man's  inhumanity  to  man 
reached  and  told  zn  the  bodily  frame  and  depressed 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  325 

it  beyond  measure.  I  thought  that  I  was  dying  on 
my  feet.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  almost  every 
step  of  the  weary  sultry  way  was  in  pain,  and  I  reach- 
ed Ujiji  a  mere  '  ruckle'  of  bones. 

"There  I  found  that  some  five  hundred  pounds 
sterling  worth  of  goods  which  I  had  ordered  from 
Zanzibar  had  unaccountably  been  entrusted  to  a 
drunken  half-caste  Moslem  tailor,  who,  after  squander- 
ing them  for  sixteen  months  on  the  way  to  Ujiji,  fin- 
ished up  by  selling  off  all  that  remained  for  slaves 
and  ivory  for  himself.  He  had  "divined" on  the  Ko- 
ran and  found  that  I  was  dead.  He  had  also  written 
to  the  Governor  of  Unyanyembe  that  he  had  sent 
slaves  after  me  to  Manyema,  who  returned  and  re- 
ported my  decease,  and  begged  permission  to  sell  off 
the  few  goods  that  his  drunken  appetite  had  spared. 
He,  however,  knew  perfectly  well,  from  men  who  had 
seen  me,  that  I  was  alive,  and  waiting  for  the  goods 
and  men  ;  but  as  for  morality,  he  is  evidently  an  idiot, 
and  there  being  no  law  here  except  that  of  the  dag- 
ger or  musket,  I  had  to  sit  down  in  great  weakness, 
destitute  of  everything  save  a  few  barter  cloths  and 
beads,  which  I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  leave  here 
in  case  of  extreme  need.  The  near  prospect  of  beg- 
gary among  Ujijians  made  me  miserable.  I  could 
not  despair,  because  I  laughed  so  much  at  a  friend 
who,  on  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Zambezi,  said  that 
he  was  tempted  to  despair  on  breaking  the  photo- 
graph of  his  wife.  We  could  have  no  success  after 
that.  Afterward  the  idea  of  despair  had  to  me  such 
a  strong  smack  of  the  ludicrous  that  it  was  out  of 
the  question. 


326  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

"  Well,  when  I  had  got  to  about  the  lowest  verge, 
vague  rumors  of  an  English  visitor  reached  me.  I 
thought  of  myself  as  the  man  who  went  down  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho;  but  neither  priest,  Levite,  nor 
Samaritan  could  possibly  pass  my  way.  Yet  the 
good  Samaritan  was  close  at  hand,  and  one  of  my 
people  rushed  up  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and,  in 
great  excitement,  gasped  out,  'An  Englishman  com- 
ing! I  see  him!'  and  off  he  darted  to  meet  him.  An 
American  flag,  the  first  ever  seen  in  these  parts,  at 
the  head  of  a  caravan,  told  me  the  nationality  of  the 
stranger.  I  am  as  cold  and  non-demonstrative  as  we 
islanders  are  usually  reputed  to  be  ;  but  your  kind- 
ness made  my  frame  thrill.  It  was,  indeed,  over- 
whelming, and  I  said  in  my  soul,  '  Let  the  richest 
blessings  descend  from  the  Highest  on  you  and 
yours ! ' 

The  news  Mr.  Stanley  had  to  tell  was  thrilling. 
The  mighty  political  changes  on  the  Continent;  the 
success  of  the  Atlantic  cables;  the  election  of  Gen- 
eral Grant,  and  many  other  topics  rivited  my  atten- 
tion for  days  together,  and  had  an  immediate  and 
beneficial  effect  on  my  health.  I  had  been  without 
news  from  home  for  years  save  what  I  could  glean 
from  a  few  Saturday  Reviews  and  Punch  of  1868. 
The  appetite  revived,  and  in  a  week  I  began  to  feel 
strong  again. 

"  Mr.  Stanley  brought  a  most  kind  and  encourag- 
ing despatch  from  Lord  Clarendon,  whose  loss  I  sin- 
cerely deplore,  the  first  I  have  received  from  the 
Foreign  Office  since  1866,  and  information  that  the 
British    government   had   kindly   sent    a    thousand 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  327 

pounds  sterling  to  my  aid.  Up  to  his  arrival  I  was 
not  aware  of  any  pecuniary  aid.  I  came  unsalaried, 
but  this  want  is  now  happily  repaired,  and  I  am  anxious 
that  you  and  all  my  friends  should  know  that,  though 
uncheered  by  letter,  I  have  stuck  to  the  task  which 
my  friend  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  set  me  with  'John 
Bullish'  tenacity,  believing  that  all  would  come  right 
at  last 

"  The  watershed  of  South  Central  Africa  is  over 
seven  hundred  miles  in  length.  The  fountains  thereon 
are  almost  innumerable — that  is,  it  would  take  a 
man's  lifetime  to  count  them.  From  the  watershed 
they  converge  into  four  large  rivers,  and  these  again 
into  two  mighty  streams  in  the  great  Nile  valley, 
which  begins  in  ten  degrees  to  twelve  degrees  south 
latitude.  It  was  long  ere  light  dawned  on  the  ancient 
problem  and  gave  me  a  clear  idea  of  the  drainage.  I 
had  to  feel  my  way,  and  every  step  of  the  way,  and 
was,  generally,  groping  in  the  dark,  for  who  cared 
where  the  waters  ran  ?  We  drank  our  fill  and  let 
the  rest  run  by. 

"  The  Portuguese  who  visited  Cazemba  asked  for 
slaves  and  ivory,  and  heard  of  nothing  else.  I  asked 
about  the  waters,  questioned  and  cross-questioned, 
until  I  was  almost  afraid  of  being  set  down  as  afflict- 
ed with  hydrocephalus. 

"My  last  work,  in  which  I  have  been  greatly  hindered 
from  want  of  suitable  attendants,  was  following  the 
central  line  of  drainage  down  through  the  country  of 
the  cannibals,  called  Manyuema,  or,  shortly,  Manyema. 
This  line  of  drainage  has  four  large  lakes  in  it.  The 
fourth  I  was  near  when  obliged  $b  turn.     It  is  from  * 


328  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

one  to  three  miles  broad,  and  never  can  be  reached 
at  any  point  or  at  any  time  of  the  year.  Two  west- 
ern drains,  the  Lupira,  or  Bartle  Frere's  River,  flow 
into  it  at  Lake  Kamolondo.  Then  the  great  River 
Lomaine  flows  through  Lake  Lincoln  into  it,  too, 
and  seems  to  form  the  western  arm  of  the  Nile,  on 
which  Petherick  traded. 

"  Now,  I  knew  about  six  hundred  miles  of  the 
watershed,  and  unfortunately  the  seventh  hundred 
is  the  most  interesting  of  the  whole  ;  for  in  it,  if  I  am 
not  mistaken,  four  fountains  arise  from  an  earthen 
mound,  and  the  last  of  the  four  becomes,  at  no  great 
distance  off,  a  large  river.  Two  of  these  run  north 
to  Egypt,  Lupira  and  Louraine,  and  two  run  south 
into  inner  Ethiopia,  as  the  Liambai,  or  upper  Zam- 
bezi, and  the  Kafneare,  but  these  are  but  the  sources 
of  the  Nile  mentioned  by  the  Secretary  of  Minerva, 
in  the  city  of  Sais  to  Herodotus.  I  have  heard  of 
them  so  often,  and  at  great  distances  off,  that  I  can- 
not doubt  their  existence,  and  in  spite  of  the  sore 
longing  for  home  that  seizes  me  every  time  I  think 
of  my  family  I  wish  to  finish  up  by  their  rediscovery. 

"  Five  hundred  pounds  sterling  worth  of  goods 
have  again  unaccountably  been  entrusted  to  slaves, 
and  have  been  over  a  year  on  the  way,  instead  of 
four  months.  I  must  go  where  they  lie  at  your  ex- 
pense, ere  I  can  put  the  natural  completion  to  my 
work. 

"And  if  my  disclosures  regarding  the  terrible 
Ujijian  slavery  should  lead  to  the  suppression  of  the 
east  coast  slave  trade,  I  shall  regard  that  as  a  greater 
matter  by  far  than  the  discovery  of  all  the  Nile  sources 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  329 

together.  Now  that  you  have  done  with  domestic 
slavery  forever,  lend  us  your  powerful  aid  toward  this 
great  object.  This  fine  country  is  blighted,  as  with  a 
curse  from  above,  in  order  that  the  slavery  privileges 
of  the  petty  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  may  not  be  infringed, 
and  the  rights  of  the  Crown  of  Portugal,  which  are 
mythical,  should  be  kept  in  abeyance  till  some  future 
time  when  Africa  will  become  another  India  to  Por- 
tuguese slave  traders. 

"  I  conclude  by  again  thanking  you  most  cordially 
or  your  great  generosity,  and  am, 

"  Gratefully  yours, 

"  David  Livingstone." 

Dr  Livingstone's  plan  of  exploration  for  the  future 
will  lead  him  far  southward  of  Ujiji.  He  will  march 
southwestward  from  Unyanyembe  and  passing  south 
of  Tanganyika  Lake  traverse  the  country  of  Cazem- 
be,  and  by  a  general  circular  course  again  reach  the 
supposed  sources  of  the  Nile,  and  finish  the  work 
which  was  before  so  bravely  begun  and  prosecuted, 
and  so  unfortunately  brought  to  imperfect  termina- 
tion by  reason  of  the  neglect  or  incapacity  of  the 
representatives  of  the  British  government  at  Zan- 
zibar. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE   SUCCESS  OF  THE   HERALD    ENTER- 
PRISE. 

Mr.  Stanley's  Despacthes  to  the  "  Herald" — They  Create  a  Profound  Sensation — 
The  Question  of  the  Authenticity  of  His  Reports — Conclusive  Proof  Thereof 
— Testimony  of  the  English  Press,  John  Livingstone,  Earl  Granville,  and  the 
Queen  of  England  Herself. 

Mr.  Stanley's  despatches  to  the  "  Herald ,"  as  we 
have  already  seen,  were  sent  through  the  London 
bureau  of  that  office.  The  noted  telegram,  printed 
on  the  morning  of  July  2,  1872, — of  which  a  copy  has 
been  printed  on  preceding  pages — created  a  profound 
sensation.  Followed  by  other  cable  telegrams  giving 
reports  of  the  newspaper  reporter's  journey  towards 
Europe  and  his  reception  at  Paris  and  elsewhere,  the 
intelligence  was  received  with  almost  as  much  avidity 
as  the  news  which  came  from  day  to  day  of  the  late 
Franco-German  war,  or  that  of  the  attempted  revolu- 
tion in  Paris. 

But  to  some,  the  reports  of  Mr.  Stanley's  great  suc- 
cess were  incredible.  There  were  those  who  did  not 
believe  he  had  seen  Livingstone,  and  who  did  believe 
that  his  story  of  the  meeting — with,  of  course,  all  the 
correspondence  from  Zanzibar,  Unyanyembe,  Ujiji, 
and  elsewhere — was  but  an  adroitly-devised  romance, 
after  the  fashion  of  that  of  Ali  Moosa,  to  cover  up 
inglorious  failure.     It  is  needless   now  to  fully  state 

330 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  33 1 

the  arguments  upon  which  this  incredulity  was  based. 
Perhaps  newspaper  jealousy  had  something  to  do 
with  it.  Certainly  it  was  a  matter  of  deep  chagrin  to 
many  Englishmen  that  the  British  government,  upon 
whose  soil  the  sun  never  sets,  should  have  been  totally 
eclipsed  by  the  enterprise  of  private  citizens  of  a  rival 
nationality.  Then  there  were  certain  little  errors — 
chiefly  misprints  and  the  excusable  mistakes  of  tele- 
graphing long  despatches  great  distances — which  were 
claimed  by  the  doubting  as  showing  that  the  so- 
called  great  Special  Search  Expedition  of  the  "  Her- 
ald" was  but  a  magnificent  hoax,  after  all.  Moreover, 
the  universal  interest  manifested  in  the  subject,  gave 
a  splendid  opportunity  to  adventurers,  both  male  and 
female,  to  ventilate  themselves  and  become  public 
characters.  Hence,  those  who  had  known  Mr.  Stan- 
ley as  a  native  of  Wales,  and  not  of  Missouri,  or  of 
this,  that,  or  the  other  country ;  who  knew  that  he 
had  not  been  a  correspondent  as  had  been  generally 
stated ;  and,  in  fine,  who  knew  that  many  assertions 
in  regard  to  him  were  untrue — these  adventurers  be- 
came even  more  numerous  than  the  celebrated  cow 
of  the  crumpled  horn  which  originated  the  terrible 
conflagration  of  Chicago,  and  then,  with  miraculous 
self-multiplication,  surpassed  in  number  the  cattle  of 
a  thousand  hills,  and,  mournfully  ruminating  over 
her  sad  mishap  in  kicking  over  the  kerosene  lamp, 
became  the  observed  of  all  observers  in  all  Christian 
lands,  and  at  the  same  instant  of  astronomical  and 
clock  time. 

It  were  needless  to  disguise  the  fact,  however,  that 
the  statements   of  those  incredulous  of  the  Search 


332  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Expedition's  wonderful  success,  being  for  some  time 
constantly  iterated  and  reiterated  through  the  press, 
had  considerable  effect  upon  the  public  mind,  and  ac- 
tually left  it  for  a  period  in  a  state  of  painful  uncer- 
tainty in  regard  to  the  fate  of  the  great  explorer,  the 
truth  in  regard  to  whom  was  earnestly  desired  by  all 
intelligent  persons  throughout  Christendom.  Hap- 
pily, the  authenticity  of  Mr.  Stanley's  reports,  and  with 
it  the  recent  safety  of  Dr.  Livingstone  have  been 
placed  beyond  reasonable  doubt  by  a  mass  of  testi- 
mony against  which  no  one  can  dispute  who  will  not 
dispute  against  the  sun. 

Much  of  that  testimony  has  already  appeared  in 
this  volume,  different  portions  in  their  appropriate 
places.     These  are : 

i.  The  statement  of  the  Hon.  E.  Joy  Morris,  Ex- 
Minister  of  the  United  States  at  Constantinople. 
He  abundantly  establishes  the  character  of  Mr.  Stan- 
ley as  that  of  a  most  energetic,  fearless,  and  honest 
man.  The  first  two  qualities  greatly  enabled  him  to 
achieve  success  in  the  search  expedition ;  the  last  is 
a  sure  guaranty  that,  had  he  not  won  success,  he 
would  not  have  claimed  it.  Mr.  Morris's  statement 
is  also  of  value  because  utterly  disproving  and  for- 
ever putting  to  rest  a  certain  tissue  of  misrepresen- 
tations in  regard  to  Mr.  Stanley's  history  in  Asia 
Minor. 

2.  The  letters  of  Dr.  Livingstone  to  Earl  Granville, 
which  were  published  by  authority  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment. In  these  letters,  the  African  explorer  not 
only  gratefully  alludes  to  Mr.  Stanley  but  expressly 
says  his  despatches  are  entrusted  to  his  care,  because 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  333 

of  the  great  traveller's  belief  in  Mr.  Stanley's  enter- 
prise and  capacity  to  accomplish  whatever  he  might 
undertake.  In  one  of  these  despatches,  Dr.  Living- 
stone also  states  that  he  had  given  to  the  custody  of  Mr. 
Stanley  his  journal  of  explorations,  sealed,  to  be  de- 
livered to  his  daughter,  when  the  commander  of  the 
Search  Expedition  of  the  "  Herald"  should  arrive  in 
England. 

3.  Upon  Mr.  Stanley's  arrival  in  England,  this  jour- 
nal was  promptly  forwarded  to  Miss  Livingstone. 
Her  acknowledgment  was  published  in  many  English 
and  American  journals.     It  was  as  follows : 

Kelly  Wemyss  Bay,  by  Greenock,  ) 
August  6,  1872.      \ 
Dear  Sir — I  write  to  say  that  I  received  last  Saturday  my  father's  letters  and 
the  diary  which  were  entrusted  to  you  by  him. 

I  wish  also  to  express  to  you  my  heartfelt  gratitude  for  going  in  search  of  my 
father  and  aiding  him  so  nobly  and  bringing  the  long-looked-for  letters  safely. 
Believe  me  yours  truly,  AGNES  LIVINGSTONE. 

Henry  M.  Stanley,  Esq. 

4.  Dr.  Livingstone's  letter  of  thanks  to  James  Gor- 
don Bennett,  Esq.,  Jr.,  the  handwriting  of  which  was 
published,  in  fac  simile,  in  the  "  Herald,"  and  fully 
substantiated  by  Mr.  John  Livingstone,  of  Canada, 
brother  of  the  explorer,  and  more  familiar  with  him 
and  his  handwriting  than  any  man   living. 

5.  The  letter  of  John  Livingstone  to  Mr.  Blake, 
American  Consul  at  Hamilton,  Ontario,  in  Canada, 
which  was  accompanied  by  a  letter  from  Dr.  Living- 
stone, proving  handwriting,  and  forwarded  to  the 
"  Herald"  through  the  Department  of  State  at 
Washington.     This  letter  follows  : 

LlSTOWELL,    August  24,   1872. 

F.  N.  Blake,  Esq.,  United  States  Consul,  Hamilton,  Ontario: 

Dear  Sir — Would  you  kindly  oblige  me  by  conveying  in  your  official  ca- 


334  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

pacity  to  Mr.  Bennett,  proprietor  of  the  New  York  'Herald,'  and  also  to  Mr. 
Stanley,  the  leader  of  the  "  Herald  Livingstone  Search  Expedition,"  my 
warmest  congratulations  on  the  succeseful  issue  of  that  expedition. 

Having  noticed  a  number  of  articles  in  the  public  press  reflecting  doubts  on 
the  veracity  of  Mr.  Stanley  and  the  '  Herald,'  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that 
I  place  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  the  statements  of  Mr.  Stanley  and  the 
4  Herald. 

I  can  also  assure  you  that  Dr.  Livingstone  holds  the  American  government 
and  people  in  the  highest  estimation,  principally  on  account  of  the  late  abolition 
of  slavery  in  the  United  States,  and  I  trust  that  his  persistent  efforts  to  check 
the  nefarious  traffic  in  slaves  in  Africa  will  be  crowned  with  success. 

I  am,  yours  respectfully,  JOHN  LIVINGSTONE. 

6.  The  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  London, 
fully  persuaded  of  the  authenticity  of  Mr.  Stanley's 
reports,  tendered  him  a  formal  reception  at  Brighton. 
The  meeting  occurred  and  caused  a  great  deal  of 
comment. 

7.  The  Sovereign  of  England  has  herself  on  more 
than  one  occasion  tendered  special  honors  to  Mr. 
Stanley  on  account  of  his  success  in  finding  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone. 

Evidence  like  this  is  not  to  be  shaken  by  the  as- 
severations of  penny-a-liners.  It  must  be  regarded 
by  the  candid  as  absolutely  conclusive.  Such,  it  is 
believed,  would  be  the  result,  had  Mr.  Stanley  been  a 
British  subject  instead  of  an  American  citizen.  As 
the  fact  is,  the  case  for  the  "  Herald"  Expedition  is 
almost  immeasurably  stronger.  It  was  a  matter  of 
profound  chagrin  to  most  of  the  English  people  that 
an  American  enterprise  should  be  successful  in  the 
search  for  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  Englishmen, 
whilst  English  expeditions  should  have  failed.  Under 
such  circumstances,  Mr.  Stanley's  proofs  had  to  be 
absolutely  unassailable  and  his  credentials  unanswer- 
ably satisfactory,  or  they  would  not   have  been   re- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  335 

ceived  at  all.  Both  majesty  and  ministry  would  have 
given  the  commander  of  the  American  enterprise  the 
coldest  possible  shoulder.  Instead,  they  crowned  him 
with  laurels.  The  only  conclusion  with  reasonable 
minds  must  be  that  the  "  Herald"  expedition  was  a 
splendid  success,  and  further  doubt  of  it  can  only  be 
a  stupid  and  cruel  skepticism  * 

*  It  is  not  believed  that  anything  further  is  needed  to  convince  the  public  ot 
what  most  of  the  intelligent  public  is  already  convinced  ;  but  it  may  be  well  to 
place  on  record  the  statements  of  a  number  of  prominent  journals  of  the  world, 
and  reference  to  the  action  of  certain  learned  societies. 

On  July  4th,  1872,  the  Lodon  "Morning  Post"  said: 

"  Far  surpassing  everything  of  local  import  in  interest  just  now  is  the  inform- 
ation afforded  by  the  New  York  'Herald'  to  the  London  press  of  the  discovery 
of  Dr.  Livingstone.  Far  surpassing  everything  which  has  been  hitherto  achieved 
by  journalistic  enterprise  is  the  discovery  of  the  great  African  explorer — concern- 
ing whose  fate  the  peoples  of  every  civilized  State  in  the  world  have  been  anx- 
ious for  many  years — by  the  special  correspondent  of  a  daily  newspaper  commis- 
sioned to  find  him.  We  are  accustomed  to  laugh  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  at 
the  rage  which  prevails  for  a  knowledge  of  what  are  classed  as  '  big  things'  among 
our  American  kinsmen  ;  but  it  is  not  only  with  a  feeling  of  satisfaction,  but  also 
of  kindred  pride,  that  we  express  our  admiration  of  this  wonderful  undertaking, 
which  was  conceived  and  has  been  carried  to  such  a  successful  issue  by  the  pro- 
prietor of  our  New  York  contemporary." 

The  London  "  Telegraph"  of  the  same  date  says :  / 

"  Yesterday  we,  in  company  with  the  whole  people  of  Britain,  listened  to  the 
narration  of  the  outlines  of  a  tale  describing  the  accomplishment  of  a  work  as 
daring  in  its  execution  as  that  of  Vasco  de  Gama,  as  solitary  in  its  accompani- 
ment as  that  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  and  quite  as  romantic  in  its  progress  as  that 
of  Marco  Polo.  The  mind  delights  to  realize,  even  in  imagination,  the  moment 
when  the  gallant  anil  indefatigable  Stanley  won  his  way  in  front  of  his  little  band 
of  followers — making  up  in  noise  what  it  lacked  in  numbers — to  the  outskirts  of 
Ujiji,  and  we  must,  all  of  us,  envy  the  republic  of  the  United  States  the  fact  that 
the  American  flag  was  carried  proudly  at  the  head  of  his  force  in  happy  agree- 
ment, and  that  under  the  banner  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  he  afforded  succor  to 
the  lonely  Briton." 

And  thus  the  London  "  Daily  News:" 

"The  extraordinary  narrative  which  has  just  been  communicated  to  the  world 
by  the  New  York  '  Herald'  supplies  one  of  the  most  exciting  stories  which 
civilization  has  had  since  the  revelation  of  the  startling  truths  of  Bruce.  Mr. 
Stanley  gives  to  his  collation  a  somewhat  picturesque  coloring,  but  the  grand 


336  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

fact  remains  that  he  found  Livingstone  notwithstanding,  and  not,  as  Sir  Henry 
Rawlinson  conjectured  lately,  that  Livingstone  found  Stanley.  It  is  not  easy 
to  imagine  an  enterprise  more  full  of  toil  and  peril  than  this  strange  journey  of 
the  lonely  American,  attended,  to  be  sure,  by  a  small  but  reluctant  escort,  in  the 
hitherto  trackless  wilds  of  Africa  and  among  people  of  native  tribes  of  unknown 
names.  It  is  wholly  impossible  not  to  admire  the  daring  and  perseverance  which 
the  American  discovery  has  crowned  with  triumph." 

Said  the  Edinburgh  (Scotland)  "  Oourant:" 

"It  is  long  since  the  columns  of  a  newspaper  have  contained  so  vividly  ro- 
mantic and  so  startlingly  wonderful  a  story  as  that  which  has  just  been  told  to 
us  of  the  fortunes  that  befell  Mr.  Stanley  in  his  quest  after  Livingstone,  and  of 
the  most  strange  circumstances  under  which  the  object  of  that  quest  was  fulfilled 
The  whole  narrative  reads,  indeed,  more  like  a  forgotten  episode  from  the  trav- 
els of  some  Marco  Polo  or  Vasco  de  Gama  than,  as  it  is.  a  truthful  and  unvar- 
nished extract  from  the  severe  chronicle  of  nineteenth  century  fact." 

This  brief  extract  from  the  London  "Globe"  of  July  9: 

"The  final  discovery  of  Dr.  Livingstone  would  seem  to  have  been  a  bitter 
disappointment  to  a  large  class  of  his  fellow  countrymen.  The  doubt  and  mys- 
tery which  hung  around  his  fate  promised  to  produce  a  perennial  stream  of 
quasi-scientific  gossip,  and  to  yield  an  endless  crop  of  letters  to  the  '  Times.' 
As  it  is,  those  '  interested*  in  the  matter  are  reduced  to  patching  the  rags  of  the 
worn  out  controversy." 

The  London  "Times"  of  July  15th  contained  a  long  letter  from  Mr.  Charles 
Beke  in  which  he  fully  answers  a  number  of  criticisms  upon  the  Livingstone- 
Stanley  despatches,  the  said  criticisms  having  originated  in  British  chagrin,  not 
altogether  inexcusable,  at  the  fine  success  of  the  American  enterprise.  That 
great  journal  of  July  27th  editorially  says: 

"  To  the  enterprise  of  an  American  newspaper  we  are  indebted  for  trustworthy 
information  that  Dr.  Livingstone  still  lives  and  prosecutes  his  unexampled  re- 
searches." 

The  London  "Advertiser"  of  the  date  last  mentioned  also  published  a  long 
leading  article  upon  the  subject,  beginning : 

"  In  another  column  we  publish  the  first  letter  from  Dr.  Livingstone  which 
has  been  received  in  England.  By  the  energy  of  the  proprietor  of  the  New 
York  '  Herald'  the  great  English  traveller  has  been  found  and  succored  at  a  mo- 
ment when  he  seemed  to  be  upon  his  *  last  legs.'  In  his  own  words,  when 
Stanley  arrived  at  Ujiji  'he  thought  he  was  dying  upon  his  feet.'  " 

The  London  "  Standard"  of  July  26th  remarked  with  emphasis  : 

"  All  doubts  concerning  the  bona  fides  of  Mr.  Stanley's  narratives  of  his  ad- 
ventures in  Africa  will  now  be  laid  at  rest  by  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Livingstone's 
letters.  We  shall,  apparently,  have  to  wait  a  little  for  the  publication  of  the 
geographical  despatches,  as  the  report  of  an  intended  meeting  of  the  Geogra- 
phical Society  on  Monday  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  them  read  is  unfounded. 
But  it  is  satisfactory  to  feel  that  even  the  very  faint  suspicions  cast  on  the  au- 
thenticity of  Mr.  Stanley's  story  are  dissipated,  and  that  we  may  absolutely  rely 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  337 

upon  the  information  which  that  gallant  and  triumphant  traveller  has  brought 
home." 

The  Manchester  (England)  "  Guardian"  of  July  2qth,  in  an  elaborate  article 
in  criticism  of  the  English  authorities  because  they  had  not  organized  a  success- 
ful expedition,  and  had  given  the  great  explorer  just  cause  for  complaint,  says 
the  subject  is  one  "  which  can  be  matter  of  no  agreeable  examination  for  any 
Englishman."     And  it  concludes  : 

"  Our  magnificently  equipped  expedition  did  simply  nothing ;  and  it  was  re- 
served for  Mr.  Stanley,  after  his  return  to  the  coast,  to  organize  a  caravan  with 
stores  for  Dr.  Livingstone.  *  Before  we  left  Zanzibar,'  says  Mr.  New,  '  a  cara- 
van numbering  fifty-seven  men  was  packed,  signed,  sealed,  addressed,  and  des- 
patched, like  so  many  packets  of  useful  commodities,  to  the  service  and  succor 
of  Dr.  Livingstone.'     What  says  England  to  all  this  ?" 

The  Leeds  (England)  "  Mercury"  of  the  date  last  mentioned  remarks : 

"The  success  of  Mr.  Stanley  in  his  search  for  Dr.  Livingstone  is  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  chapters  in  the  history  of  newspaper  enteq^rise.  The  expedition 
was  an  unprecedented  one,  and  when  it  was  first  reported  in  this  country  there 
were  few  who  did  not  laugh  at  it  as  a  Yankee  notion,  conceived  and  started  for 
the  glorification  of  the  New  York  '  Herald'  and  to  gratify  ihe  vanity  of  Mr. 
James  Gordon  Bennett.  The  result  has  shown  not  only  how  little  there  was  to 
laugh  at,  but  how  much  there  was  to  admire  in  such  a  project." 

The  journals  of  continental  Europe  were  not  less  emphatic  in  awarding  un- 
mixed praise  to  the  successful  expedition  of  the  American  journal,  and  Geo- 
graphical Societies,  from  Italy  to  Russia,  awarded  gold  medals  to  Mr.  Stanley 
in  recognition  of  his  services  in  behalf  of  geographical  knowledge. 

By  this  array  of  irresistible  testimony — and  even  more  will  be  forthcoming 
in  natural  order  in  the  account  of  Mr.  Stanley's  reception  in  Europe — the  most 
of  American  journals  acknowledged  the  success  of  the  expedition,  and  awarded 
unstinted  praise  to  the  "  Herald."  To  clinch  the  conclusive  testimony  already 
adduced,  however,  and  leave  no  possible  room  for  doubt,  it  may  be  well  to  bring 
forth  witnesses  of  the  highest  station,  not  even  excepting  the  Queen  of  England 
herself. 

Earl  Granville,  upon  the  receipt  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  despatches,  forwarded 
from  Paris  by  Mr.  Stanley,  directed  an  official  acknowledgement,  which  was  as 
follows . 

'•  Foreign  Office,  August  1,  1872. 

'  Sir — I  am  directed  by  Earl  Granville  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  pack- 
Age  containing  letters  and  despatches  from  Dr.  Livingstone,  which  you  were 
good  enough  to  deliver  to  Her  Majesty's  Ambassador  at  Paris  for  transmission 
to  this  department,  and  I  am  to  convey  to  you  His  Lordship's  thanks  for  taking 
charge  of  these  interesting  documents. 

"  I  am,  your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"ENFIELD. 

"  Henry  M.  Stanley,  Esq." 


338  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

And  on  the  next  day  Earl  Granville  himself  wrote  the  following  letter  : 

"August  2,  1872. 
Sir — I  was  not  aware  until  you  mentioned  it  that  there  was  any  doubt  as  to 
the  authenticity  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  despatches,  which  you  delivered  to  Lord 
Lyons  on  the  31st  of  July ;  but,  in  consequence  of  what  you  have  said,  I  have 
inquired  into  the  matter,  and  I  find  that  Mr.  Hammmond,  the  Under  Secretary 
of  the  Foieign  Office,  and  Mr.  Wyld,  the  head  of  the  Consular  and  Slave  Trade 
Department,  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  papers 
which  have  been  received  from  Lord  Lyons,  and  which  are  being  printed. 

"  I  cannot  omit  this  opportunity  of  expressing  to  you  my  admiration  of  the 
qualities  which  have  enabled  you  to  achieve  the  object  of  your  mission,  and  to 
attain  a  result  which  has  been  hailed  with  so  much  enthusiasm  both  in  the 
United  States  and  in  this  country. 

•*  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient, 

"GRANVILLE. 

"  Henry  M.  Stanley,  Esq." 

As  if  all  this  were  not  enough  we  have  the  testimony  of  the  Queen's  speech, 
delivered  for  Queen  Victoria  by  commission,  on  the  occasion  of  the  prorogation 
of  Parliament,  on  Saturday,  August  10,  1872.  The  Queen  said:  "  My  govern- 
ment has  taken  steps  intended  to  prepare  the  way  for  dealing  more  effectually 
with  the  slave  trade  on  the  East  Coast  of  Africa."  The  London  "  Times"  of 
the  following  Monday,  in  commenting  on  this  portion  of  Her  Majesty's  speech, 
said: 

"  This  paragraph  is  the  most  significant  part  of  the  throne  speech,  and  we 
suppose  it  is  not  an  error  to  connect  the  announcement  which  has  just  been 
made  by  Her  Majesty  with  the  recent  discovery  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  the  de- 
spatches to  the  Foreign  Office  brought  by  Mr.  Stanley,  of  the  New  York  'Her- 
ald,' from  the  great  traveller." 

It  would  be  impossible,  it  is  believed,  to  more  completely  demonstrate  the 
hearty  acknowledgement  of  the  British  government  of  the  success  of  the  Ameri- 
can enterprise ;  an  acknowledgment  which  no  earthly  power  but  that  of  un- 
answerable truth  could  have  compelled  that  government  to  make. 


GIRAFFES  TAKING  EXERCISE. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MR.  STANLEY'S  RECEPTION  IN  EUROPE. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  Everywhere  Received  with  Marked  Attention — Reception  at 
Paris — In  London — The  Brighton  Banquet — Honors  from  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. 

It  is  now  time  again  to  take  up  the  further  adven- 
tures of  Mr.  Stanley,  and  follow  him  upon  his  long 
journey  back  to  the  abode  of  civilization.  From 
Zanzibar  he  sailed  across  the  Indian  Ocean  to  Bom- 
bay, whence  he  transmitted  despatches  announcing 
the  success  which  had  crowned  his  long  labors  and 
journeyings.  It  was  this  intelligence,  transmitted  so 
fully  through  the  London  office  of  the  New  York 
"  Herald,"  which  so  gratifyingly  startled  the  world 
about  the  time  of  the  anniversary  of  American  inde- 
pendence in  1872.  From  Bombay,  Mr.  Stanley  pro- 
ceeded to  Europe  by  way  of  the  Suez  canal,  reaching 
Aden,  southwestern  Arabia,  July  1 1 ;  Port  Said,  the 
head  of  the  Suez  canal  on  the  18th;  and  arrived  at 
Marseilles  in  France  on  the  24th.  Here  he  was  re- 
ceived with  kindest  welcome,  and  to  some  extent  be- 
sieged by  gentlemen  of  his  own  profession,  who  trans- 
mitted to  their  journals  accounts  of  his  doings.  At 
Paris  a  few  days  afterwards  he  was  received  with  ex- 
hilerating  hospitality  by  the  American  residents  of 
the  city,  and  was  greatly  lionized  generally.  Break- 
fasting with  Hon.  Elihu  B.  Washburne,  American 
Minister,  he  there  met  among  other  distinguished 
ao  341 


342  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

guests,  General  William  T.  Sherman,  the  command- 
ing officer  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  about 
completing  a  tour  of  Europe  and  the  Levant.  The 
General  occupied  much  of  the  time  in  examining  Mr. 
Stanley's  maps,  and  discharging  some  of  his  fund  of 
caustic  humour  on  the  prevalence  of  the  East  African 
slave  trade.  On  July  30th,  Minister  Washburne  and 
many  other  Americans  in  Paris  extended  a  formal  in- 
vitation to  Mr.  Stanley  to  meet  them  at  a  banquet 
where  they  might  in  a  body  testify  their  "  high  appre- 
ciation of  the  indomitable  courage,  energy,  and  per- 
severence  which  crowned  with  such  brilliant  success 
your  efforts  to  find  Dr.  Livingstone,  as  well  as  to  ex- 
press their  sense  of  the  enterprise  and  liberality  of 
the  New  York  '  Herald'  in  sending  you  forth  on  such 
an  extraordinary  mission." 

Mr.  Stanley's  reply  to  this  cordial  invitation  was  so 
modest,  so  happily  expressed,  that  it  is  worthy  of  a 
place  here : 

Hotel  du  Helder,  Paris,  July  30,  1872. 
Gentlemen — I  have  received  your  letter  of  this  date,  asking  rae  to  accept  the 
compliment  of  a  dinner  from  my  compatriots  and  friends  now  resident  in  Paris, 
to  be  given  in  acknowledgment  of  the  "  enterprise  and  liberality  of  the  New 
York  Herald"  in  sending  out  an  expedition  in  search  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  as 
well  as  of  the  extraordinary  good  fortune  and  perfect  success  which,  under 
Providence,  attended  the  footsteps  of  the  expedition  I  had  the  honor  to  com- 
mand. Gentlemen,  believe  me,  I  am  deeply  conscious  of  the  great  honor  you 
would  do  me,  and  through  me  not  only  to  the  journal  I  have  the  pleasure  of 
serving,  but  to  the  patient,  resolute,  brave  and  Christian  gentleman  whom  I  left 
in  Central  Africa.  I  therefore  gladly  accept  your  invitation,  and  shall  be  pleased 
to  meet  you  July  31  at  any  house  or  place  that  may  be  deemed  most  convenient. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen,  your  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

HENRY  M.  STANLEY. 
To  His  Excellency  E.  B.  Washburne,  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  many  others. 

The  meeting  was  one  of  great  enjoyment.     The 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  343 

American  Minister,  after  a  happy  speech,  richly 
flavored  with  American  allusions,  proposed  the  guest 
of  the  evening — "  Henry  M.  Stanley,  the  discoverer 
of  the  discoverer :  we  honor  him  for  his  courage, 
energy,  and  fidelity.  We  rejoice  in  the  triumphant 
success  of  his  mission,  which  has  gained  him  im- 
perishable renown  and  conferred  additional  credit  on 
the  American  name."  To  this  the  traveller  respond- 
ed felicitously,  and  was  specially  eloquent  when 
speaking  of  the  great  explorer  of  Africa.  A  number 
of  distinguished  gentlemen — artists,  journalists,  pub- 
lic men — addressed  the  meeting.  The  assemblage 
adjourned  at  a  late  hour,  Mr.  Stanley  strongly  im- 
pressed with  the  difference  between  a  Parisian  ban- 
quet and  an  African  supper  of  manioc  and  hippopot- 
amus. Other  like  honors  flew  upon  him,  thick  and 
fast.  From  scientific  and  literary  bodies  and  from 
distinguished  persons  he  received  invitations  to  ac- 
cept which  would  have  occupied  him  a  year.  These 
things  do  not  go  to  the  author  of  a  hoax,  however 
magnificent. 

The  traveller-correspondent  could  not  long  remain 
at  the  fashionable  metropolis,  and  at  once  departed 
for  England.  His  reception  in  England  was  most 
cordial  on  the  part  of  most  intelligent  persons,  but 
there  was  a  feeling  of  national  chagrin,  if  one  may  so 
speak,  on  account  of  the  discovery  of  Dr.  Livingstone 
having  been  brought  about  through  American  enter- 
prise, which  vented  itself  in  no  little  carping  criticism 
and  the  discharge  of  British  atrabilariousness.  Hence 
at  once  originated  that  skepticism  in  regard  to  the 
discovery  of  the  great  explorer  which  continued  to 


344  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

becloud  some  minds  and  journals  for  a  number  of 
weeks.  But  the  publication  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  sev- 
eral official  despatches — already  largely  quoted  from 
in  this  work — and  the  prompt  production  of  other 
evidence,  heretofore  mentioned,  brought  the  English 
people  quite  generally  to  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
truth.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  British  Associ- 
ation for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  which  convened 
at  Brighton,  August  14th,  W.  B.  Carpenter,  LL.D.,  in 
the  chair,  Mr.  Stanley's  successful  mission  was  hand- 
somely mentioned.  He  was  twice  compelled  to  rise, 
in  acknowledgment  of  calls  and  cheers.  Ex-Em- 
peror Napoleon  III.  of  France,  was  present  and  joined 
in  the  applause.  Here  at  another  meeting,  Mr.  Stan- 
ley read  a  paper  on  Tanganyika  Lake,  which  was 
greatly  praised.  About  this  time  there  are  meetings 
of  many  scientific  associations  at  Brighton,  to  all  of 
which  Mr.  Stanley  was  invited.  On  the  occasion  of 
what  has  been  called  "  the  Brighton  Banquet,"  it  being 
a  dinner  given  to  the  British  Association  by  the  Brigh- 
ton and  Sussex  Medical  Society,  Mr.  Stanley  ap- 
peared late  in  the  evening,  and,  being  soon  called 
out,  responded  to  some  remarks  of  a  previous  speaker 
in  such  way  as  to  create  some  feeling.  Good  nature 
at'last  prevailed,  and  harmony  was  restored  among 
the  English  savants. 

But  his  honors  in  England  did  not  stop  below 
the  recognition  of  his  fine  success  by  royalty  itself. 
Early  in  September  he  was  invited  to  an  interview 
with  Queen  Victoria,  and  afterwards  dined  with  her 
and  the  members  of  the  royal  family  present  at  Bal- 
moral.    Upon  this  occasion  the  Queen  is  reported  to 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  345 

have  expressed  to  him  in  the  most  warm  and  friendly 
terms  her  congratulations  on  the  successful  result  of 
the  American  enterprise  in  furnishing  intelligence  of 
the  English  traveller  in  Africa,  his  condition  of 
health,  his  discoveries,  and  his  hopes  for  the  future 
previous  to  his  return  to  Great  Britain. 

Mr.  Stanley  could  hardly  be  left  in  a  happier  situ- 
ation than  partaking  of  a  right  royal  dinner  with 
Her  Majesty  of  England. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  SLAVE  TRADE  OF  EAST  AFRICA. 

Dr.  Livingstone's  Letter  upon  the  Subject  to  Mr.  Bennett — Compares  the  Slave 
Trade  with  Piracy  on  the  High  Seas — Natives  of  Interior  Africa  Average 
Specimens  of  Humanity — Slave  Trade  Cruelties — Deaths  from  Broken  Hearts 
— The  Need  of  Christian  Civilization — British  Culpability. 

While  waiting  for  supplies  in  Unyanyembe,  Dr. 
Livingstone  wrote  a  second  letter  to  Mr.  James  Gor- 
don Bennett,  which  was  principally  devoted  to  the 
slave  trade  of  East  Africa,  to  greatly  aid  in  the  abo- 
lition of  which  would  be  more  gratifying  to  the  ex- 
plorer's ambition  than  to  discover  all  the  sources  of 
the  Nile.  This  might  well  be  supposed  from  what 
has  already  been  quoted  from  Dr.  Livingstone's  de- 
spatches to  his  government;  but  inasmuch  as  he  here 
directly  appeals  to  the  American  people,  this  volume 
would  be  incomplete  without  the  remarkable  and  most 
thrillingly  interesting  statements  of  the  letter  in  ques- 
stion.  They  were  sent  by  cable  telegram  from  Lon- 
don and  appeared  in  the  "  Herald"  newspaper  of 
July  27,  1872  : 

"  At  present  let  me  give  a  glimpse  of  the  slave 
trade,  to  which  the  search  and  discovery  of  most  of 
the  Nile  fountains  have  brought  me  face  to  face.  The 
whole  traffic,  whether  by  land  or  ocean,  is  a  gross 
outrage  on  the  common  law  of  mankind.  It  is  car- 
ried on  from  age  to  age,  and,  in  addition  to  the  evils 
it  inflicts,  presents  almost  insurmountable  obstacles 

346 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  347 

to  intercourse  between  different  portions  of  the 
human  family.  This  open  sore  in  the  world  is  partly 
owing  to  human  cupidity,  partly  to  the  ignorance  of 
the  more  civilized  of  mankind  of  the  blight  which 
lights  chiefly  on  more  degraded  piracy  on  the  high 
seas,  (sic.)  It  was  once  as  common  as  slave  trading  is 
now,  but  as  it  became  thoroughly  known  the  whole 
civilized  world  rose  against  it. 

"In  now  trying  to  make  Eastern  African  slave 
trade  better  known  to  Americans,  I  indulge  the  hope 
I  am  aiding  on,  though  in  a  small  degree,  the  good 
time  coming  yet  when  slavery  as  well  as  piracy  will 
be  chased  from  the  world.  Many  have  but  a  faint 
idea  of  the  evils  that  trading  in  slaves  inflicts  on  the 
victims  and  authors  of  its  atrocities.  Most  people 
imagine  that  negroes,  after  being  brutalized  by  a  long 
course  of  servitude,  with  but  few  of  the  ameliorating 
influences  that  elevate  the  more  favored  races,  are  fair 
average  specimens  of  the  African  man.  Our  ideas 
are  derived  from  slaves  of  the  west  coast,  who 
have  for  ages  been  subject  to  domestic  bondage  and 
all  the  depressing  agencies  of  a  most  unhealthy  cli- 
mate. These  have  told  most  injuriously  on  their 
physical  frames,  while  fraud  and  the  rum  trade  have 
ruined  their  moral  natures  so  as  not  to  discriminate 
the  difference  of  the  monstrous  injustice. 

"  The  main  body  of  the  population  is  living  free  in 
the  interior,  under  their  own  chiefs  and  laws,  culti- 
vating their  own  farms,  catching  fish  in  their  own 
rivers,  or  fighting  bravely  with  the  grand  old  deni- 
zens of  the  forest,  which,  in  more  recent  continents, 
can  only  be  reached  in  rocky  strata  or  under  peren- 


348  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

nial  ice.  Winwood  Reade  hit  the  truth  when  he  said 
the  ancient  Egyptian,  with  his  large,  round,  black 
eyes,  full,  luscious  lips,  and  somewhat  depressed  nose, 
is  far  nearer  the  typical  negro  than  the  west  coast 
African,  who  has  been  debased  by  the  unhealthy  land 
he  lives  in.  The  slaves  generally,  and  especially 
those  on  the  west  coast,  at  Zanzibar  and  elsewhere, 
are  extremely  ugly.  I  have  no  prejudice  against  their 
color ;  indeed,  any  one  who  lives  long  among  them 
forgets  they  are  black  and  feels  they  are  just  fellow- 
men  ;  but  the  low,  retreating  forehead,  prognathous 
jaws,  lark-heels  and  other  physical  peculiarities  com- 
mon among  slaves  and  West  African  negroes,  always 
awaken  some  feelings  of  aversion  akin  to  those  with 
which  we  view  specimens  of  the  Bill  Sykes  and 
4  Bruiser'  class  in  England.  I  would  not  utter  a  syl- 
lable calculated  to  press  down  either  class  more 
deeply  in  the  mire  in  which  it  is  already  sunk,  but  1 
wish  to  point  out  that  these  are  not  typical  Africans 
any  more  than  typical  Englishmen,  and  that  the  na- 
tives on  nearly  all  the  high  lands  of  the  interior 
Continent  are,  as  a  rule,  fair  average  specimens  of 
humanity. 

"  I  happened  to  be  present  when  all  the  head  men 
of  the  great  Chief  Msama — who  lives  west  of  the 
south  end  of  Tanganyika — had  come  together  to 
make  peace  with  certain  Arabs  who  had  burned  their 
chief  town,  and  I  am  certain  one  could  not  see  more 
finely  formed,  intellectual  heads  in  any  assembly  in 
London  or  Paris,  and  the  faces  and  forms  correspond- 
ed finely  with  the  well-shaped  heads.  Msama  himself 
had  been   a  sort  of  Napoleon  for  fighting  and  con- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  349 

quering-  in  his  younger  days.  He  was  exactly  like 
the  Ancient  Assyrians  sculptured  on  the  Nineveh 
marbles,  as  Nimrod  and  others,  and  he  showed  him- 
self to  be  one  of  ourselves  by  habitually  indulging  in 
copious  potations  of  beer,  called  pombe,  and  had  be- 
come what  Nathaniel  Hawthorne  called  '  bulbous  be- 
low the  ribs/  I  do  not  know  where  the  phrase 
1  bloated  aristocracy'  arose.  It  must  be  American,  for 
I  have  had  glimpses  of  a  good  many  English  noble- 
men, and  Msama  was  the  only  specimen  of  a  '  bloated 
aristocrat'  on  whom  I  ever  set  eyes. 

"  Many  of  the  women  are  very  pretty,  and,  like  all 
ladies,  would  have  been  much  prettier  if  they  had 
only  let  themselves  alone.  Fortunately  the  dears 
could  not  change  charming  black  eyes,  beautiful  fore- 
heads, nicely  rounded  limbs,  well  shaped  forms  and 
small  hands  and  feet,  but  must  adorn  themselves,  and 
this  they  do  by  filing  splendid  teeth  to  points  like 
cats'  teeth.  It  was  distressing,  for  it  made  their  smile 
like  that  of  crocodile  ornaments,  scarce.  They  are 
not  black,  but  of  light,  warm  brown  color,  and  so  very 
sisterish,  if  I  may  use  the  word,  it  feels  an  injury  done 
one's  self  to  see  a  bit  of  grass  stuck  through  the  cart- 
ilage of  the  nose  so  as  to  bulge  out  the  alee  nasi,  or 
wine  of  the  nose  of  the  anatomists. 

"  Cazembe's  Queen,  Moaria  Nyombe  by  name, 
would  be  esteemed  a  real  beauty  either  in  London, 
Paris,  or  New  York,  and  yet  she  had  a  small  hole 
through  the  cartilage,  near  the  tip  of  her  fine,  slightly 
aquiline  nose.  But  she  had  only  filed  one  side  of 
two  of  the  front  of  her  superb  snow-white  teeth,  and 
then,  what  a  laugh  she  had  !     Let  those  who  wish  to 


350  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

know  go  see  her.  She  was  carried  to  her  farm  in  a 
pony  phaeton,  which  is  a  sort  of  throne,  fastened  on 
two  very  long  poles  and  carried  by  twelve  stalwart 
citizens.  If  they  take  the  Punch  motto  of  Cazembe 
— '  Niggers  don't  require  to  be  shot  here' — as  their 
own,  they  may  show  themselves  to  be  men ;  but 
whether  they  do  or  not  Cazembe  will  show  himself  a 
man  of  sterling  good  sense. 

"  Now,  these  people,  so  like  ourselves  externally, 
have  brave,  genuine  human  souls.  Rua,  large  sec- 
tions of  country  northwest  of  Cazembe,  but  still  in 
same  inland  region,  is  peopled  with  men  very  like 
those  of  Wsama  and  Cazembe.  An  Arab,  Syed  Ben 
Habib,  was  sent  to  trade  in  Rua  two  years  ago,  and, 
as  Arabs  usually  do  where  natives  have  no  guns,  Syed 
Ben  Habib's  elder  brother  carried  matters  with  a  high 
hand.  The  Rua  men  observed  the  elder  brother 
slept  in  a  white  tent,  and,  pitching  spears  into  it  by 
night,  Jailed  him.  As  Moslems  never  forgive  blood, 
the  younger  brother  forthwith  '  ran  a  muck'  on  all  in- 
discriminately in  a  large  district. 

"  Let  it  not  be  supposed  any  of  these  people  are, 
like  American  Indians,  insatiable,  blood-thirsty  sav- 
ages, who  will  not  be  reclaimed  or  entertain  terms  of 
lasting  friendship  with  fair-dealing  strangers.  Had 
the  actual  murderers  been  demanded,  and  a  little  time 
granted,  I  feel  morally  certain,  from  many  other  in- 
stances among  tribes  who,  like  the  Ba  Rua,  have  not 
been  spoiled  by  Arab  traders,  they  would  all  have 
been  given  up. 

"The  chiefs  of  the  country  would,  first  of  all,  have 
specified  the  crime  of  which  the  elder  brother  was 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  35 1 

guilty,  and  who  had  been  led  to  avenge  it.  It  is  very 
likely  they  would  have  stipulated  no  other  should  be 
punished  but  the  actual  perpetrator,  the  domestic 
slave  acting  under  his  orders  being  considered  free  of 
blame. 

"  I  know  nothing  that  distinguishes  the  uncon- 
taminated  African  from  other  degraded  peoples  more 
than  their  entire  reasonableness  and  good  sense.  It 
is  different  after  they  have  had  wives,  children,  and 
relatives  kidnapped,  but  that  is  more  than  human 
nature,  civilized  or  savage,  can  bear.  In  the  chase 
in  question  indiscriminate  slaughter,  capture,  and 
plunder  took  place.  A  very  large  number  of  very  fine 
young  men  were  captured  and  secured  in  chains  and 
wooden  yokes. 

"  I  came  near  the  party  of  Syed  Ben  Habib,  close 
to  a  point  where  a  huge  rent  in  the  Mountain  of  Rua 
allows  the  escape  of  the  great  river  Lualaba  out  of 
Lake  Moora,  and  here  I  had  for  the  first  time  an  op- 
portunity of  observing  the  difference  between  slaves 
and  freemen  made  captive.  When  fairly  across  the 
Lualaba,  Syed  Ben  Habib  thought  his  captives  safe, 
and  got  rid  of  the  trouble  of  attending  to  and  watch- 
ing the  chained  gangs  by  taking  off  both  chains  and 
yokes.  All  declared  joy  and  a  perfect  willingness  to 
follow  Syed  to  the  end  of  the  world  or  elsewhere,  but 
next  morning  twenty-two  made  clear  of  two  moun- 
tains. 

"  Many  more,  seeing  the  broad  Lualaba  roll  be- 
tween them  and  the  homes  of  their  infancy,  lost  all 
heart,  and  in  three  days  eight  of  them  died.  They 
had  x>^  complaint  but  pain  in   the    heart,  and  they 


352  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

pointed  out  its  seat  correctly,  though  many  believe 
the  heart  situated  underneath  the  top  of  the  sternum, 
or  breast  bone.  This  to  me  was  the  most  startling 
death  I  ever  saw.  They  evidently  die  of  broken- 
heartedness,  and  the  Arabs  wondered,  seeing  they 
had  plenty  to  eat. 

"  I  saw  others  perish,  particularly  a  very  fine  boy 
ten  or  twelve  years  of  age.  When  asked  where  he 
felt  ill,  he  put  his  hand  correctly  and  exactly  over  the 
heart.  He  was  kindly  carried,  and,  as  he  breathed 
out  his  soul,  was  laid  gently  on  the  side  of  the  path 
The  captors  are  not  unusually  cruel.  They  were  cal- 
lous.    Slaving  hardened  their  hearts. 

"  When  Syed,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  crossed  Lual- 
aba,  he  heard  I  was  in  the  village,  where  a  company 
of  slave  traders  were  furiously  assaulted  for  three 
days  by  justly  incensed  Bobemba.  I  would  not  fight 
nor  allow  my  people  to  fire  if  I  saw  them,  because 
Bobemba  had  been  especially  kind  to  me.  Syed  sent 
a  party  of  his  own  people  to  invite  me  to  leave  the 
village  and  come  to  him.  He  showed  himself  the 
opposite  of  hard-hearted  ;  but  slavery  hardens  within, 
petrifies  the  feelings,  is  bad  for  the  victims  and  ill  for 
the  victimizers.  Once,  it  is  said,  a  party  of  twelve, 
who  had  been  slaves  in  their  own  country — Cunda  or 
Conda,  of  which  Cazemba  is  chief  or  general — were 
loaded  with  large,  heavy  yokes,  which  were  forked 
trees,  about  three  inches  in  diameter  and  seven  or 
eight  feet  long,  the  neck  inserted  in  the  fork  and  an 
iron  bar  driven  across  one  end  of  the  fork  to  the 
other  and  riveted  to  the  other  end,  tied  at  night  to 
the  tree  or  ceiling  of  the  hut,  and  the  neck  being  fi;  m 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  353 

in  the  fork  and  the  slave  held  off  from  unloosing  it, 
was  excessively  troublesome  to  the  wearer,  and,  when 
marching,  two  yokes  were  tied  together  by  tree  ends 
and  loads  put  on  the  slaves'  heads  beside. 

"A  woman,  having  an  additional  yoke  and  load,  and 
a  child  on  her  back,  said  to  me  on  passing, '  They  are 
killing  me.  If  they  would  take  off  the  yoke  I  could 
manage  the  load  and  child  ;  but  I  shall  die  with  three 
loads.'  The  one  who  spoke  this  did  die  ;  poor  little 
girl !     Her  child  perished  of  starvation. 

"  I  interceded  some,  but  when  unyoked  off  they 
bounded  into  the  long  grass,  and  I  was  greatly 
blamed  for  not  caring  in  presence  of  the  owners  of 
the  property. 

"After  the  day's  march  under  a  broiling,  vertical 
sun,  with  yokes  and  heavy  loads,  the  strongest  were 
exhausted.  The  party  of  twelve,  above  mentioned, 
were  sitting  down  singing  and  laughing.  '  Hallo/ 
said  I,  'these  fellows  take  to  it  kindly.  This  must  be 
the  class  for  whom  philosophers  say  slavery  is  the 
natural  state ;'  and  I  went  and  asked  the  cause  of 
their  mirth. 

"  I  had  asked  aid  of  their  owner  as  to  the  meaning 
of  the  word  '  Rukha,'  which  usually  means  fly  or  leap. 
They  were  using  it  to  express  the  idea  of  haunting, 
as  a  ghost,  inflicting  disease  or  death,  and  the  song  was: 
'Yes,  we  going  away  to  Manga,  abroad,  or  white  man's 
land, with  yoke  on  our  necks;  but  we  shall  have  no 
yokes  in  death,  and  shall  return  and  haunt  and 
kill  you,'  Chorus  then  struck  in,  which  was  the  name 
of  the  man  who  had  sold  each  of  them,  and  then  fol- 
lowed the  general  laugh,  in  which  at  first  I  saw  no 


3  54  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

bitterness.  Tarembee,  an  old  man,  at  least  one  hun- 
dred and  four  years,  being  one  of  the  sellers,  in  ac- 
cordance with  African  belief,  they  had  no  doubt  of 
being  soon  able,  by  ghost  power,  to  kill  even  him. 

"The  refrain  was  as  if: — 'Oh!  oh!  oh!  bird  of 
freedom,  you  sold  me.'  '  Oh  !  oh !  oh  !  I  shall  haunt 
you  !  Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !'  Laughter  told  not  of  mirth,  but 
of  tears,  such  as  were  oppressed,  and  they  had  no 
comforter.  He  that  is  higher  than  the  highest  re- 
gardeth." 

"  If  I  am  permitted,"  says  Dr.  Livingstone  in  con- 
cluding the  subject  of  the  slave  trade,  "  in  any  way  to 
promote  its  suppression,  I  shall  not  grudge  the  toil 
and  time  I  have  spent.  It  would  be  better  to  lessen 
this  great  human  woe  than  to  discover  the  sources  of 
the  Nile." 

The  moral  degradation  of  these  people  is  only  to 
be  reached  and  cured,  in  the  deliberate  judgment  of 
the  explorer-missionary,  through  the  means  of  Chris- 
tian civilization.  "  The  religion  of  Christ,"  he  says 
with  emphasis,  "  is  unquestionably  the  best  for  man. 
I  refer  to  it  not  as  the  Protestant,  the  Catholic,  the 
Greek,  or  any  other,  but  to  the  comprehensive  faith 
which  has  spread  more  widely  over  the  world  than 
most  people  imagine,  and  whose  votaries,  of  what- 
ever name,  are  better  than  any  outside  the  pale." 
The  great  end  of  placing  the  numerous  tribes  of 
East  and  Central  Africa  under  the  pure  and  elevat- 
ing morality  of  the  Christian  religion  cannot  be  suc- 
cessful until  the  suppression  of  the  inhuman  slave 
trade,  which  has  ite  headquarters  at  Zanzibar,  shall 
have  been  accomplished.     It  would  be  unjust  to  for- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  355 

get  that  Great  Britain  has  done  much,  very  much, 
for  the  suppression  of  this  terrible  traffic  in  other 
portions  of  the  globe.  It  would  be  unjust  to  charge 
the  government  of  Great  Britain  with  intentional 
criminality  in  this  case.  But  it  stands  proved,  by  the 
failure  of  English  expeditions  to  find  Dr.  Living- 
stone, and  by  his  own  positive,  earnest  testimony, 
now  that  an  American  expedition  has  succeeded  in 
discovering  him,  that  it  is  the  subjects  of  the  British 
monarchy  who  are  responsible  for  the  existence  of 
the  slave  trade  of  Zanzibar  and  all  the  nameless  hor- 
rors of  the  interior  resulting  therefrom.  The  moral 
culpability,  by  reason  of  neglect — not  to  put  the  case 
too  strongly — of  the  British  government  is  therefore 
made  manifest ;  and  of  this  great  national  turpitude 
that  government  must  stand  convicted  before  the  bar 
of  Christendom. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM  OF  AFRICA, 

Some  Account  of  the  Beasts,  Birds,  Reptiles,  and  Insects  of  Africa — Living- 
stone's Opinion  of  the  Lion — Elephants,  Hippopotami,  Rhinoceroses,  etc. — 
Wild  Animals  Subject  to  Disease — Remarkable  Hunting  Explorations — 
Cumming  Slays  more  than  One  Hundred  Elephants — Du  Chaillu  and  the 
Gorilla — Thrilling  Incidents — Vast  Plains  Covered  with  Game — Forests 
Filled  with  Birds — Immense  Serpents — The  Python  of  South  Africa — Ants 
and  other  Insects. 

No  portion  of  the  globe  is  so  productive  of  wild 
animals  as  Africa.  There  animal  life  is  more  exten- 
sive, if  we  may  so  say,  and  more  varied  than  any- 
where else.  The  domestic  animals  of  that  continent 
are  not  to  such  extent  different  from  those  of  other 
parts  of  the  world  as  to  merit  special  mention,  with 
the  exception  of  the  camel,  without  whose  aid  a  large 
portion  of  the  country  would  be  not  only  uninhabit- 
able but  untraversable.  The  invaluable  services 
which  this  patient  but  obstinate  beast  of  burden  ren- 
ders to  the  inhabitants  of  Northern  Africa  are  known 
to  all  men.  In  northern  Africa  and  in  the  central 
portions,  horses  are  numerous  and  many  of  them  of 
excellent  breeds.  Here  and  in  many  parts  of  South 
Africa,  there  are  many  cattle,  used  as  beasts  of  bur- 
den and  for  beef.  Some  of  them  are  noted  for  the 
prodigious  size  of  their  horns.  Sheep  abound  in 
some  portions  of  the  continent,  but  in  South  Africa 
the  flocks  are  composed  almost  entirely  of  goats,  which 

356 


NATIVE  KILLING  A  PYTHON. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  359 

subsist  better  on  the  dry  herbs  of  the  dessert,  yield 
more  milk,  and  are  considered  more  palatable  food. 

But  in  respect  to  wild  beasts — all  kinds  of  "game" 
as  the  sportsman  would  say — Africa,  as  has  been  said 
by  Mr.  John  Bonner,  "  may  be  called  the  region  of 
animal  life,  since  there  are  more  than  twice  the  num- 
ber of  species  in  it  than  in  the  other  quarters  of  the 
globe."  Here  are  found,  in  immense  numbers,  all 
those  kinds  of  animals  which  fill  the  strong  cages  of 
the  menageries  of  Europe  and  America,  of  parks,  and 
zoological  gardens,  and  many  more  besides.  Here 
are  the  most  abject  and  degraded  specimens  of  man- 
kind and  the  most  sagacious  and  lordly  wild  animals. 
Here  are  the  most  beautiful  and  gentle  of  birds  and 
the  most  venomous  and  terrible  serpents  and  reptiles. 
Here  are  small  insects  whose  attacks  are  fatal  to 
many  useful  animals,  and  others — the  devouring 
locusts — which  in  a  single  day  devastate  vast  sections 
of  country. 

The  lion,  so  long  regarded  as  the  king  of  beasts, 
is  found  in  most  parts  of  interior  Africa.  We  have 
already  seen  that  Dr.  Livingstone's  opinion  of  this 
beast  is  not  very  exalted.  It  is  certainly  inferior  to 
the  African  leopard  both  in  beauty  and  courage.  In 
strength  and  prowess  this  latter  animal  is  not  in- 
ferior to  the  Asiatic  tiger.  The  hippopotamus,  sup- 
posed to  be  the  Behemoth  of  Job,  is  found  in  nearly 
all  the  rivers  of  Central  and  South  Africa  and  the 
Nile.  His  body  is  often  as  large  as  that  of  a  full- 
grown  elephant.  A  noted  African  hunter  killed  one 
with  a  single  ball,  which  was  six  feet  broad  across  the 
belly.     The  skin  of  an  adult  hippopotamus,  accord- 

21 


360  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ing  to  Du  Chaillu,  who  shot  several  and  stuffed  one, 
is  from  one  and  a-half  to  two  inches  thick,  and  ex- 
tremely solid  and  tough — quite  bullet-proof,  in  fact, 
except  in  a  few  thinner  spots,  as  behind  the  ear  and 
near  the  eyes.  It  is  devoid  of  hair  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  short  bristly  hairs  in  the  tail,  and  a  few 
scattered  tufts  near  the  muzzle.  The  color  of  the 
skin  is  a  clayey  yellow,  assuming  a  roseate  hue  under 
the  belly.  After  death,  the  animal  becomes  a  dull 
brownish  color.  It  is  successfully  hunted  by  the  na- 
tives of  east  equatorial  Africa,  who  approach  within 
a  few  feet  of  it,  fire  their  "  slugs"  at  his  eye  and  then 
run  for  dear  life  ;  for  if  the  animal  be  not  killed  the 
hunter  surely  will  be.  Cumming,  the  most  success- 
ful of  African  Nimrods,  once  slew  some  ten  hippopot- 
ami in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  days,  and  secured 
the  carcasses  of  most  of  them,  dragging  them  with 
oxen  to  which  were  attached  strong  cables  fastened 
to  the  beasts.  The  bagging  of  several  tons  of  edible 
game — the  meat  of  the  beast  is  described  by  some 
as  like  beef,  by  others  as  like  pork — in  a  day  or  two 
could  not  be  accomplished  elsewhere  than  in  Africa. 
Most  of  the  perennial  rivers  and  even  small  streams 
of  a  few  feet  depth  abound  in  crocodiles.  Those  of 
South  Africa,  whose  nature  and  habits  are  described 
by  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Cumming,  are  a  different 
species  from  the  crocodile  of  the  Nile,  one  of  the  sa- 
cred animals  of  the  Egyptians.  They  are  as  great 
in  size,  however,  and,  perhaps,  greater  in  voracity. 
Their  great  numbers,  particularly  in  the  waters  of 
equatorial  Africa,  are  astonishing.  The  natives  hunt 
them,  going  in  canoes  and  using  a  sort  of  harpoon, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  36 1 

with  which  the  stout  armour,  elsewhere  impenetrable, 
of  the  animal  is  pierced  behind  the  legs.  The  na- 
tives are  fond  of  the  flesh.  Though  a  full  grown 
crocodile  will  weigh  as  much  as  an  ox,  there  is  not 
much  flesh  that  is  edible.  Cumming  shot  one  more 
than  twenty  feet  in  length  in  a  stream  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  wide.  "  On  our  return  to  Damagondai's 
town,"  says  Du  Chaillu,  "  as  we  were  paddling  along, 
I  perceived  in  the  distance  ahead  a  beautiful  deer, 
looking  meditatively  into  the  waters  of  the  lagoon, 
of  which  from  time  to  time  it  took  a  drink.  I  stood 
up  to  get  a  shot,  and  we  approached  with  the  utmost 
silence.  But  just  as  I  raised  my  gun  to  fire,  a  croco- 
dile leaped  out  of  the  water,  and,  like  a  flash,  dove 
back  again  with  the  struggling  animal  in  his  powerful 
jaws.  So  quickly  did  the  beast  take  his  prey  that 
though  I  fired  at  him  I  was  too  late.  I  would  not 
have  believed  that  this  huge  and  unwieldy  animal 
could  move  with  such  velocity;  but  the  natives  told 
me  that  the  deer  often  falls  prey  to  the  crocodile. 
Sometimes  he  even  catches  the  leopard,  but  then 
there  is  a  harder  battle  than  the  poor  little  deer  could 
make." 

The  rhinoceros,  formerly  found  on  the  slopes  of 
Table  Mountain,  has  now  been  driven  far  into  the 
interior  of  South  Africa,  but  here  these  huge  ani- 
mals, second  only  to  the  elephant  and  hippopotamus 
in  bulk,  are  found  along  all  the  streams  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  fountains  and  pools  of  water.  Dr. 
A.  Smith  in  his  "Zoology  of  South  Africa"  makes 
three  species  of  rhinoceros.  The  great  hunter,  Cum- 
ming, describes  what  he  considers  as  four  different 


362  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

kinds.  *  Dr.  Livingstone,  however,  asserts  that  there 
are  but  two  species — the  white  and  the  black — insist- 
ing that  all  the  species  made  by  naturalists  beyond 

*  He  says  :  Of  the  rhinoceros  there  are  four  varieties  in  South  Africa  distin- 
guished by  the  Bechuanas  by  the  names  of  the  borele,  or  black  rhinoceros,  the 
keitloa,  or  two-horned  black  rhinoceros,  the  muchocho,  or  common  white  rhi- 
noceros, and  the  kobaoba,  or  long-horned  white  rhinoceros.  Both  varieties  or 
the  black  rhinoceros  are  extremely  fierce  and  dangerous,  and  rush  headlong  and 
unprovoked  at  any  object  which  attracts  their  attention.  They  never  attain 
much  fat,  and  their  flesh  is  tough,  and  not  much  esteemed  by  the  Bechuanas. 
Their  food  consists  almost  entirely  of  the  thorny  branches  of  the  wait-a-bit 
thorns.  Their  horns  are  much  shorter  than  those  of  the  other  varieties,  seldom 
exceeding  eighteen  inches  in  length.  They  are  finely  polished  with  constant 
rubbing  against  the  trees.  The  skull  is  remarkably  formed,  its  most  striking 
feature  being  the  tremendous  thick  ossification  in  which  it  ends  above  the  nos- 
trils. It  is  on  this  mass  that  the  horn  is  supported.  The  horns  are  not  con 
nected  with  the  skull,  being  attached  merely  by  the  skin,  and  they  may  thus  be 
separated  from  the  head  by  means  of  a  sharp  knife.  They  are  hard  and  per 
fectly  %olid  throughout,  and  are  a  fine  material  for  various  articles,  such  as  drink- 
ing cups,  mallets  for  rifles,  handles  for  turner's  tools,  etc.,  etc.  The  horn  is 
capable  of  a  very  high  polish.  The  eyes  of  the  rhinoceros  are  small  and  spark- 
ling, and  do  not  readily  observe  the  hunter,  provided  he  keeps  to  leeward  of 
them.  The  skin  is  extremely  thick,  and  only  to  be  penetrated  by  bullets  hard- 
ened with  solder.  During  the  day  the  rhinoceros  will  be  found  lying  asleep  or 
standing  indolently  in  some  retired  part  of  the  forest,  or  under  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  sheltered  from  the  power  of  the  sun  by  some  friendly  grove  of  um- 
brella-topped mimosas.  In  the  evening  they  commence  their  nightly  ramble, 
and  wander  over  a  great  extent  of  country.  They  usually  visit  the  fountain? 
between  the  hours  of  nine  and  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  and  it  is  on  these  occa- 
sions that  they  may  be  most  successfully  hunted,  and  with  the  least  danger.  The 
black  rhinoceros  is  subject  to  paroxysms  of  unprovoked  fury,  often  plowing  up 
the  ground  for  several  yards  with  its  horns,  and  assaulting  large  bushes  in  the 
most  violent  manner.  On  these  bushes  they  work  for  hours  with  their  horns,  at 
the  same  time  snorting  and  blowing  loudly,  nor  do  they  leave  them  in  general 
until  they  have  broken  them  into  pieces.  The  rhinoceros  is  supposed  by  many, 
and  by  myself  among  the  rest,  to  be  the  animal  alluded  to  by  Job,  chap,  xxxix., 
verses  10  and  11,  where  it  is  written,  "Canst  thou  bind  the  unicorn  with  his 
band  in  the  furrow  ?  or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys  after  thee  ?  Wilt  thou  trust 
him  because  his  strength  is  great  ?  or  wilt  thou  leave  thy  labor  to  him  ?"  evi- 
dently alluding  to  an  animal  possessed  of  great  strength  and  of  untamable  dis- 
position, for  both  of  which  the  rhinoceros  is  remarkable.  All  the  four  varieties 
delight  to  roll  and  wallow  in  mud,  with  which  their  rugged  hides  are  gene* 
erally  incrusted. — Adventures  in  South  Africa,  1.  pp.  215-16. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  363 

these  two  are  based  on  mere  differences  in  size,  age, 
and  direction  of  horns,  all  which  vary  much  in  each 
variety.  The  rhinoceros  has  a  "guardian  spirit"  in 
the  rhinoceros-bird,  his  constant  companion  and  de- 
voted friend.  *  Those  of  the  black  species  are  very 
wary,  fierce,  and  difficult  to  take.  Their  flesh  is  tough 
also,  whilst  that  of  the  white  rhinoceros  is  fat,  tender, 
and,  to  the  South  African  tribes,  delicious.  He  is  of 
a  comparatively  gentle  spirit  also,  and  more  easily 
found  and  dispatched. 

But  the  most  interesting  of  the  wild  animals  of 
Africa  is  the  elephant,  which,  as  is  well  known,  is  in 
several  respects  different  from  the  elephant  of  Asia. 
His  ears  are  larger,  and  the  formation  of  his  tough, 

*  These  singular  birds  are  thus  described  by  Cumming  : — These  rhinoceros- 
birds  are  constant  attendants  upon  the  hippopotamus  and  the  four  varieties  of 
rhinoceros,  their  object  being  to  feed  upon  the  ticks  and  other  parasitic  insects 
that  swarm  upon  these  animals.  They  are  of  a  grayish  color  and  are  nearly  as 
large  as  a  common  thrush ;  their  voice  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  mistletoe 
thrush.  Many  a  time  have  these  ever-watchful  birds  disappointed  me  in  my 
stalk,  and  tempted  me  to  invoke  an  anathema  upon  their  devoted  heads.  They 
are  the  best  friends  the  rhinoceros  has,  and  rarely  fail  to  awaken  him  even  in 
his  soundest  nap.  "  Chukuroo"  perfectly  understands  their  warning,  and,  spring- 
ing to  his  feet,  he  generally  first  looks  about  him  in  every  direction,  after  which 
tie  invariably  makes  off.  I  have  often  hunted  a  rhinoceros  on  horseback,  which 
led  me  a  chase  of  many  miles,  and  required  a  number  of  shots  before  he  fell, 
during  which  chase  several  of  these  birds  remained  by  the  rhinoceros  to  the  last. 
They  reminded  me  of  mariners  on  the  deck  of  some  bark  sailing  on  the 
ocean,  for  they  perched  along  his  back  and  sides  ;  and  as  each  of  my  bullets  told 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  rhinoceros,  they  ascended  about  six  feet  into  the  air  utter- 
ing their  harsh  cry  of  alarm,  and  then  resumed  their  position.  It  sometimes 
happened  that  the  lower  branches  of  trees,  under  which  the  rhinoceros  passed, 
swept  them  from  their  living  deck,  but  they  always  recovered  their  former  sta- 
tion ;  they  also  adhere  to  the  rhinoceros  during  the  night.  I  have  often  shot 
these  animals  at  midnight  when  drinking  at  the  fountains,  and  the  birds,  imag- 
ining they  were  asleep,  remained  with  them  till  morning,  and  on  my  approaching, 
before  taking  flight,  they  exerted  themselves  to  their  utmost  to  awaken  Chukuroo 
from  his  deep  sleep. — Ibid.,  292-3. 


364  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

elastic  feet  is  very  different.  His  tusks  also  are 
larger  and  he  reaches  a  greater  size  than  the  Asiatic 
elephant.  He  has  been  found  in  nearly  all  parts  of 
interior  Africa  which  have  been  explored,  and  to  this 
day  may  be  seen  from  vessels  sailing  along  the  West 
Coast  near  the  equator,  as  he  comes  down  to  the  sea 
to  bathe  his  ponderous  body.  These  animals  are 
found  in  troops,  varying  in  number  from  a  few  ta 
several  hundred.  At  times  different  troops  have  been 
seen  together,  whose  heavy  tread,  in  escaping,  would 
make  the  earth  tremble.  They  are  exceedingly  deli- 
cate as  to  their  food,  of  which,  however,  they  require 
immense  quantities.  Docile  by  nature,  they  are 
wonderfully  fearful  of  man,  whom,  with  a  favorable 
wind,  they  can  scent  at  a  great  distance ;  but  in  de- 
fence of  their  young  or  when  attacked  they  fight 
with  the  greatest  courage  and  effect.  The  elephant 
is  unquestionably  recognized  by  all  animals  of  the 
forest  as  their  undoubted  master.  They  often  retain; 
life  long  after  being  mortally  wounded,  and  when 
about  to  die,  the  agony  of  the  dissolution  of  such  an 
immense  physical  system  forces  tears  from  their  eyes,, 
but  they  expire  without  convulsions  and  in  heroic 
silence.  It  might  almost  appear  that  their  predomi- 
nating feeling  is  that  of  sorrow  that  the  vast  forests 
through  which  they  have  roamed  for  years — perhaps 
a  century — shall  know  them  no  more.  It  is  difficult 
to  believe  one  can  kill  these  sublime  animals,  for 
gain  alone,  unless  he  be,  at  bottom,  a  genuine  scoun- 
drel. 

It  is  doubtless  different,  however,  when  the  grati- 
fication of  the  sporting  propensity   is  the  impelling 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  365 

motive.  It  was  this  which  carried  the  Scottish  hun- 
ter, Roualeyn  Gordon  Cumming,  into  the  interior  of 
South  Africa,  only  about  two  years  after  the  arrival 
there  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  where  he  remained, 
hunting  elephants,  lions,  rhinoceroses,  hippopotami 
camelopards,  and  other  great  game,  for  the  period  of 
nearly  five  years.  Mr.  Cumming's  "Adventures  in 
South  Africa"  were  published,  if  my  memory  does 
not  err,  in  the  year  1850.  They  were  speedily  re- 
published in  America,  and  were  at  first  received  with 
no  little  incredulity,  as,  by  the  way,  most  accounts  of 
adventures  in  Africa,  from  Mungo  Park  to  Stanley, 
have  been.  Adventures  there  appear  to  be  naturally 
incredible  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  It  is  as  it  is 
with  respect  to  the  rebuilding  of  Chicago  ;  no  one 
believes  it  all  until  he  sees  it  all,  and  after  that  he  can 
believe  that  almost  anything  is  within  the  power  of 
man's  spirit  of  enterprise  once  fully  aroused*     The 

♦We  cannot  all  go  to  Africa,  but  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  who  re- 
ceived visits  from  this  hunter  every  year  during  the  five  years  of  his  warfare  with 
wild  animals,  will  be  regarded  as  conclusive  upon  the  general  truthfulness  of  Mr. 
Cumming's  reports.     Dr.  Livingstone  says  : 

As  the  guides  of  Mr.  Cumming  were  furnished  through  my  influence,  and 
usually  got  some  strict  charges  as  to  their  behavior  before  parting,  looking  upon 
me  in  the  light  of  a  father,  they  always  came  to  give  me  an  account  of  their  ser- 
vice, and  told  most  of  those  hunting-adventures  which  have  since  been  given 
to  the  world,  before  we  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  our  friend  relate  them  him- 
self by  our  own  fireside.  I  had  thus  a  tolerably  good  opportunity  of  testing 
their  accuracy,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  for  those  who  love  that 
sort  of  thing,  Mr.  Cumming's  book  conveys  a  truthful  idea  of  South  African 
hunting.  Some  things  in  it  require  explanation,  but  the  numbers  of  animals 
said  to  have  been  met  with  and  killed  are  by  no  means  improbable,  considering 
the  amount  of  large  game  then  in  the  country.  Two  other  gentlemen  hunting 
in  the  same  region  destroyed  in  one  season  no  fewer  than  seventy-eight  rhi- 
noceroses alone.  Sportsmen,  however,  would  not  now  find  an  equal  number  ; 
for,  as  guns  are  introduced  among  the  tribes,  all  these   fine  animals  melt  away 


366  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

incredulity  in  regard  to  Mr.  Cummings  wonderful 
success  in  securing  great  game  in  Africa  has  long 
since  passed  away,  and  his  narrative  is  now  regarded 
as  altogether  trustworthy.  He  remained  in  Africa, 
hunting,  the  greater  part  of  five  years.  During  this 
time  he  slew  more  than  one  hundred  elephants,  be- 
sides those,  mortally  wounded,  which  escaped.  He 
was  equally  successful  with  the  camelopard,  rhi- 
noceros, hippopotamus,  lion,  buffalo,  eland,  and  the 
great  variety  of  antelope  which  live  in  South  Africa 
in  countless  numbers.  One  of  his  first  adventures 
with  large  animals  was  with  a  troop  of  camelopards. 
It  is  thus  graphically  described: 

"We  halted  beside  a  glorious  fountain,  the  name  of 
which  was  Massouey,  but  I  at  once  christened  it  'the 
Elephant's  own  Fountain.'  This  was  a  very  remark- 
able spot  on  the  southern  border  of  endless  elephant 
forests,  at  which  I  had  at  length  arrived.  The  foun- 
tain was  deep  and  strong,  situated  in  a  hollow  at  the 
eastern  extremity  of  an  extensive  vley,  and  its  mar- 
gin was  surrounded  by  a  level  stratum  of  solid  old 
red  sandstone.  Here  and  there  lay  a  thick  layer  of 
soil  upon  the  rock,  and  this  was  packed  flat  with  the 
fresh  spoor  of  elephants.  Around  the  water's  edge 
the  very  rock  was  worn  down  by  the  gigantic  feet 
which  for  ages  had  trodden  there.  We  drew  up  the 
wagons  on  a  hillock  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  water. 
I  had  just  cooked  my  breakfast,  and  commenced  to 


like  snow  in  spring.  In  the  more  remote  districts,  where  fire-arms  have  not  yet 
been  introduced,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  rhinoceros  the  game  is  to  be 
found  in  numbers  much  greater  than  Mr.  Cumming  ever  saw.— Researches  in 
South  Africa,  169-70. 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    AFRICA.  367 

feed,  when  I  heard  my  men  exclaim,  '  Almagtig  keek 
de  ghroote  clomp  cameel  f  and  raising  my  eyes  from 
my  sassayby  stew,  I  beheld  a  truly  beautiful  and  very 
unusual  scene.  From  the  margin  of  the  fountain 
there  extended  an  open  level  vley,  without  a  tree  or 
bush,  that  stretched  away  about  a  mile  to  the  north- 
ward, where  it  was  bounded  by  extensive  groves  of 
wide-spreading  mimosas.  Up  the  middle  of  this  vley 
stalked  a  troop  of  ten  colossal  giraffes,  flanked  by  two 
large  herds  of  blue  wildebeests  and  zebras,  with  an 
advanced  guard  of  pallahs.  They  were  all  coming  to 
the  fountain  to  drink,  and  would  be  within  rifle-shot 
of  the  wagons  before  I  could  finish  my  breakfast.  I, 
however,  continued  to  swallow  my  food  with  the  ut- 
most expedition,  having  directed  my  men  to  catch 
and  saddle  -  Colesberg.'  In  a  few  minutes  the  giraffes 
were  slowly  advancing  within  two  hundred  yards, 
stretching  their  graceful  necks,  and  gazing  in  wonder 
at  the  unwonted  wagons.  Grasping  my  rifle,  I  now 
mounted  '  Colesberg,'  and  rode  slowly  toward  them. 
They  continued  gazing  at  the  wagons  until  I  was 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  them,  when,  whisking 
their  long  tails  over  their  rumps,  they  made  off  at  an 
easy  canter.  As  I  pressed  upon  them  they  increased 
their  pace ;  but  '  Colesberg'  had  much  the  speed  ot 
them,  and  before  we  had  proceeded  half  a  mile  I  was 
riding  by  the  shoulder  of  a  dark-chestnut  old  bull, 
whose  head  towered  high  above  the  rest.  Letting 
fly  at  the  gallop,  I  wounded  him  behind  the  shoulder; 
soon  after  which  I  broke  him  from  the  herd,  and 
presently  going  ahead  of  him,  he  came  to  a  stand. 
I  then  gave  him  a  second  bullet,  somewhere  near  the 


368  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

first.  These  two  shots  had  taken  effect,  and  he  was 
now  in  my  power,  but  I  would  not  lay  him  low  so  far 
from  camp;  so,  having  waited  until  he  had  regained 
his  breath,  I  drove  him  half  way  back  toward  the 
wagons.  Here  he  became  obstreperous ;  so  loading 
one  barrel,  and  pointing  my  rifle  toward  the  clouds,  I 
shot  him  in  the  throat,  when,  rearing  high,  he  fell 
backward  and  expired.  This  was  a  magnificent  spec- 
imen of  the  giraffe,  measuring  upward  of  eighteen 
feet  in  height.  I  stood  for  nearly  half  an  hour  en- 
grossed in  the  contemplation  of  his  extreme  beauty 
and  gigantic  proportions ;  and,  if  there  had  been  no 
elephants,  I  could  have  exclaimed,  like  Duke  Alex- 
ander of  Gordon  when  he  killed  the  famous  old  stag 
with  seventeen  tine,  '  Now  I  can  die  happy.'  But  I 
longed  for  an  encounter  with  the  noble  elephants, 
and  I  thought  little  more  of  the  giraffe  than  if  I  had 
killed  a  gemsbok  or  an  eland." 

And  in  another  place  he  describes  his  second  suc- 
cess with  the  camelopard : 

"  We  now  bent  our  steps  homeward.  We  had  not 
ridden  many  miles  when  we  observed  a  herd  of  fif- 
teen camelopards  browsing  quietly  in  an  open  glade 
of  the  forest.  After  a  very  severe  chase,  in  the  course 
of  which  they  stretched  out  into  a  magnificent  widely 
extended  front,  keeping  their  line  with  a  regularity 
worthy  of  a  troop  of  dragoons,  I  succeeded  in  sepa- 
rating a  fine  bull,  upward  of  eighteen  feet  in  height, 
from  the  rest  of  the  herd,  and  brought  him  to  the 
ground  within  a  short  distance  of  the  camp.  The 
Bechuanas  expressed  themselves  delighted  at  my  suc- 
cess.    They  kindled  a  fire  and  slept  beside  the  car- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  369 

cass,  which,  they  very  soon  reduced  to  bil-tongue  and 
marrow-bones." 

Mr.  Cumming's  first  successful  encounter  with  ele- 
phants was  one  of  the  most  exciting  of  all.  It  is  thus 
related : 

"  Having  followed  the  spoor  for  a  short  distance, 
old  Mutchuisho  became  extremely  excited,  and  told 
me  that  we  were  close  to  the  elephants.  Two  or 
three  men  quickly  ascended  the  tallest  trees  that 
stood  near  us,  but  they  could  not  see  the  elephants. 
Mutchuisho  then  extended  men  to  the  right  and  left, 
while  we  continued  on  the  spoor. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  one  of  those  who  had  gone  off 
to  our  left  came  running  breathless  to  say  that  he 
had  seen  the  mighty  game.  I  halted  for  a  minute, 
and  instructed  Issac,  who  carried  the  big  Dutch  rifle, 
to  act  independently  of  me,  while  Kleinboy  was  to 
assist  me  in  the  chase.  I  bared  my  arms  to  the  shoul- 
der, and,  having  imbibed  a  draught  of  aqua  pura  from 
the  calabash  of  one  of  the  spoorers,  I  grasped  my 
trusty  two-grooved  rifle,  and  told  my  guide  to  go 
ahead.  We  proceeded  silently  as  might  be  for  a  few 
hundred  yards,  following  the  guide,  when  he  suddenly 
pointed,  exclaiming, '  Klow !'  and  before  us  stood  a 
herd  of  mighty  bull  elephants,  packed  together  be- 
neath a  shady  grove  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
in  advance.  I  rode  slowly  toward  them,  and,  as  soon 
as  they  observed  me,  they  made  a  loud  rumbling 
noise,  and,  tossing  their  trunks,  wheeled  right  about 
and  made  off  in  one  direction,  crashing  through  the 
forest  and  leaving  a  cloud  of  dust  behind  them.     I 


3 70  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

was  accompanied  by  a  detachment  of  my  dogs,  who 
assisted  me  in  the  pursuit. 

"  The  distance  I  had  come,  and  the  difficulties  I 
had  undergone  to  behold  these  elephants,  rose  fresh 
before  me.     I   determined  that   on  this  occasion  at 
least  I  would  do  my  duty,  and,  dashing  my  spurs  into 
•  Sunday's '  ribs,  I  was  very  soon   much  too  close  in 
their  rear  for  safety.     The  elephants  now  made  an 
inclination   to   my  left,  whereby  I  obtained  a  good 
view  of  the  ivory.     The  herd  consisted  of  six  bulls  ; 
four  of  them  were  full-grown,  first-rate  elephants  ;  the 
other  two  were  fine  fellows,  but  had  not  yet  arrived 
at  perfect  stature.     Of  the  four  old  fellows,  two  had 
much  finer  tusks  than  the  rest,  and  for  a  few  seconds 
I  was  undecided  which  of  these  two  I  would  follow ; 
when,  suddenly,  the    one  which   I   fancied  had  the 
stoutest  tusks  broke  from  his  comrades,  and  I  at  once 
felt  convinced  that  he  was  the  patriarch  of  the  herd, 
and  followed  him  accordingly.     Cantering  alongside, 
I  was  about  to  fire,  when  he   instantly  turned,  and, 
uttering  a  trumpet  so  strong  and  shrill  that  the  earth 
seemed  to  vibrate  beneath  my  feet,  he  charged  furi- 
ously after  me  for  several  hundred  yards  in  a  direct 
line,  not  altering  his  course  in  the  slightest  degree  for 
the  trees  of  the  forest,  which   he  snapped  and  over- 
threw like  reeds  in  his  headlong  career. 

"  When  he  pulled  up  in  his  charge,  I  likewise  halted ; 
and  as  he  slowly  turned  to  retreat,  I  let  fly  at  his 
shoulder, '  Sunday*  capering  and  prancing,  and  giving 
me  much  trouble.  On  receiving  the  ball  the  elephant 
shrugged  his  shoulder,  and  made  off  at  a  free  majes- 
tic walk.     This  shot  brought  several  of  the  dogs  to 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  371 

my  assistance  which  had  been  following  the  other  ele- 
phants, and  on  their  coming  up  and  barking  another 
headlong  charge  was  the  result,  accompanied  by  the 
never-failing  trumpet  as  before.  In  his  charge  he 
passed  close  to  me,  when  I  saluted  him  with  a  second 
bullet  in  the  shoulder,  of  which  he  did  not  take  the 
slightest  notice.  I  now  determined  not  to  fire  again 
until  I  could  make  a  steady  shot ;  but,  although  the 
elephant  turned  repeatedly, ■  Sunday'  invariably  dis- 
appointed me,  capering  so  that  it  was  impossible  to 
fire.  At  length,  exasperated,  I  became  reckless  of 
the  danger,  and,  springing  from  the  saddle,  ap- 
proached the  elephant  under  cover  of  a  tree,  and  gave 
him  a  bullet  in  the  side  of  the  head,  when,  trumpeting 
so  shrilly  that  the  forest  trembled,  he  charged  among 
the  dogs,  from  whom  he  seemed  to  fancy  that  the 
blow  had  come ;  after  which  he  took  up  a  position  in 
a  grove  of  thorns,  with  his  head  toward  me.  I  walked 
up  very  near,  and,  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  charging 
(being  in  those  days  under  wrong  impressions  as  to 
the  impracticability  of  bringing  down  an  elephant 
with  a  shot  in  the  forehead),  stood  coolly  in  his  path 
until  he  was  within  fifteen  paces  of  me,  and  let  drive 
at  the  hollow  of  his  forehead,  in  the  vain  expectation 
that  by  so  doing  I  should  end  his  career.  The  shot 
only  served  to  increase  his  fury — an  effect  which,  I 
had  remarked,  shots  in  the  head  invariably  produced ; 
and,  continuing  his  charge  with  incredible  quickness 
and  impetuosity,  he  all  but  terminated  my  elephant- 
hunting  forever.  A  large  party  of  the  Bechuanas 
who  had  come  up  yelled  out  simultaneously,  imagin- 
ing I  was  killed,  for  the  elephant  was  at  one  moment 


372  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

almost  on  the  top  of  me ;  I,  however,  escaped  by  my 
activity,  and  by  dodging  round  the  bushy  trees. 

"The  elephant  held  on  through  the  forest  at  a 
sweeping  pace ;  but  he  was  hardly  out  of  sight  when 
I  was  loaded  and  in  the  saddle,  and  soon  once  more 
alongside.  He  kept  crashing  along  at  a  steady  pace, 
with  blood  streaming  from  his  wounds.  It  was  long 
before  I  again  fired,  for  I  was  afraid  to  dismount,  and 
4  Sunday'  was  extremely  troublesome.  At  length  I 
fired  sharp  right  and  left  from  the  saddle :  he  got 
both  balls  behind  the  shoulder,  and  made  a  long 
charge  after  me,  rumbling  and  trumpeting  as  before. 
The  whole  body  of  the  Bamangwato  men  had  now 
come  up,  and  were  following  a  short  distance  behind 
me.  Among  these  was  Mollyeon,  who  volunteered 
to  help  ;  and  being  a  very  swift  and  active  fellow,  he 
rendered  me  important  service  by  holding  my  fidgety 
horse's  head  while  I  fired  and  loaded.  I  then  fired 
six  broadsides  from  the  saddle,  the  elephant  charging 
almost  every  time,  and  pursuing  us  back  to  the  main 
body  in  our  rear,  who  fled  in  all  directions  as  he  ap- 
proached. 

"  The  sun  had  now  sunk  behind  the  tops  of  the 
trees ;  it  would  very  soon  be  dark,  and  the  elephant 
did  not  seem  much  distressed,  notwithstanding  all  he 
had  received.  I  recollected  that  my  time  was  short, 
and  therefore  at  once  resolved  to  fire  no  more  from 
the  saddle,  but  to  go  close  up  to  him  and  fire  on  foot. 
Riding  up  to  him,  I  dismounted  and,  approaching 
very  near,  I  gave  it  him  right  and  left  in  the  side  of 
the  head,  upon  which  he  made  a  long  and  determined 
charge  after  me ;  but  I  was  now  very  reckless  of  his 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  373 

charges,  for  I  saw  that  he  could  not  overtake  me,  and 
in  a  twinkling  I  was  loaded,  and,  again  approaching, 
fired  sharp  right  and  left  behind  his  shoulder.  Again 
he  charged  with  a  terrific  trumpet,  which  sent '  Sun- 
day' flying  through  the  forest.  This  was  his  last 
charge.  The  wounds  which  he  had  received  began 
to  tell  on  his  constitution,  and  he  now  stood  at  bay 
beside  a  thorny  tree,  with  the  dogs  barking  around 
him.  These,  refreshed  by  the  evening  breeze,  and 
perceiving  that  it  was  nearly  over  with  the  elephant, 
had  once  more  come  to  my  assistance.  Having 
loaded,  I  drew  near  and  fired  right  and  left  at  his 
forehead.  On  receiving  these  shots,  instead  of 
charging,  he  tossed  his  trunk  up  and  down,  and  by 
various  sounds  and  motions,  most  gratifying  to  the 
hungry  natives,  evinced  that  his  demise  was  near 
Again  I  loaded  and  fired  my  last  shot  behind  his 
shoulder :  on  receiving  it,  he  turned  round  the  bushy 
tree  beside  which  he  stood,  and  I  ran  round  to  give 
the  other  barrel,  but  the  mighty  old  monarch  of  the 
forest  needed  no  more ;  before  I  could  clear  the 
bushy  tree  he  fell  heavily  on  his  side,  and  his  spirit 
had  fled." 

Such  is  a  specimen  of  the  "  sport"  which  the  wilds 
of  Africa  offer  to  the  ambitious  hunter.  That  it  is 
in  some  respects  rather  serious  sport  may  be  imag- 
ined from  the  description  as  well  as  from  Mr.  Cum- 
ming's  statement  of  his  losses  during  his  four  expedi- 
tions into  the  interior.  These  were  forty-five  horses 
and  seventy  head  of  cattle,  the  value  being  at  least 
$3,000.  u  I  also,"  he  says,  "  lost  about  seventy  of  my 
dogs,"  which  would  convey  the  idea  of  a  considera- 


374  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ble  kennel,  the  dogs  all  told.  But  he  usually  had 
only  about  thirty  at  a  time.  Many  were  killed  by 
lions,  while  elephants  made  way  with  a  still  larger 
number. 

The  expeditions  of  Mr.  Du  Chaillu,  an  American 
naturalist,  in  Equatorial  Africa,  were  more  valuable 
to  the  cause  of  science  than  those  of  Mr.  Cumming 
in  South  Africa,  and  scarcely  less  interesting  as  the 
explorations  of  a  hunter.  Like  Cumming,  he  was  a 
highly  successful  hunter,  and  he  was  also  much  more 
— a  student  of  natural  history  imbued  with  a  love  of 
science  and  having  a  genius  for  it.  As  Mr.  Cum- 
ming's  starting  point  was  the  extreme  of  South 
Africa,  under  English  domination,  Mr.  Du  Chaillu 
had  his  headquarters  beneath  the  equator  on  the 
east  coast,  and  under  the  immediate  eyesight,  so  to 
speak,  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission  for  the 
Gaboon  country.  Mr.  Du  Chaillu  afterwards  estab- 
lished his  home  in  the  Camma  country,  and  building 
himself  a  little  village  of  huts  near  the  junction  of  the 
N'poulounay  and  Fernand  Vas  rivers,  and  not  far 
from  the  coast,  named  it  "  Washington."  From  the 
Gaboon  and  then  from  this  African  "  city  of  Wash- 
ington," this  celebrated  traveller  made  several  ex- 
plorations of  the  interior,  much  of  the  time  among 
idolatrous  and  cannibal  tribes.  Enduring  many 
hardships,  overcoming  many  almost  insurmountable 
difficulties,  he  not  only  gave  to  the  world  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  account  of  hunting  expeditions, 
but  a  description  of  the  singular  people  and  wonder- 
ful country  he  was  the  first  white  man  to  visit  which 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  375 

forms  a  valued  acquisition  to  the  stock  of  geograph- 
ical and  scientific  knowledge  * 

Whilst  he  was  very  successful  in  procuring  speci- 
mens of  most  of  the  animals  and  birds  in  equatorial 
Africa  to  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles  from 
the  coast,  he  devoted  special  attention  to  hunting 
the  ape,  and  was  more  successful  in  killing  the  spe- 
cies commonly  known  as  the  gorrilla  than  any  one 
else  of  Christendom  has  ever  been.  The  greater 
difficulty  of  hunting  the  animal  considered,  he  was 
as  successful  with  the  gorrilla  as  Mr.  Cumming  had 
been  with  the  elephant. 

The  troglodytes  gorilla,  or  great  chimpanzee  of  the 
equatorial  region  of  East  Africa  has  long  been  the 
most  dreaded,  perhaps,  of  all  the  wild  beasts  of  that 
continent.  And  it  is  probably  true  that  in  unmixed 
ferocity  when  assailed  he  does  not  have  his  equal. 
The  nature  of  this  fierce  animal — much  like  man  in 
some  particulars  of  physical  formation,  totally  dis- 
similar in  all  other  respects — may  be  learned  from 
an  instance  or  two  of  Mr.  Du  Chaillu's  hunting  him. 
The  account  of  his  killing  his  "  first  gorilla"  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  We  started  early  and  pushed  for  the  most  dense 
and  impenetrable  part  of  the  forest  (this  was  in  the 
country  of  the  Fan  negroes,  cannibals,  a  little  more 
than  one  degree  north  of  the  equator  and  something 
less  than  two  hundred  miles  east  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Gaboon  river),  in  hopes  to  find  the  very  home  of  the 

*  It  need  not  be  stated  to  students  of  matters  pertaining  to  Africa,  that  this 
gentleman's  "  Explorations  and  Adventures  in  Equatorial  Africa"  (published  by 
the  Harpers  in  1868)  is  one  of  our  most  interesting  books  of  travel. 
22 


376  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

beast  I  so  much  wished  to  shoot.  Hour  after  hour 
we  travelled,  and  yet  no  signs  of  gorilla.  Only  the 
everlasting  little  chattering  monkeys — and  not  many 
of  these — and  occasional  birds.  In  fact,  the  forests  of 
this  part  of  Africa  are  not  so  full  of  life  as  in  some 
other  parts  to  the  south. 

"Suddenly  Miengai  uttered  a  little  cluck  with  his 
tongue,  which  is  the  native's  way  of  showing  that 
something  is  stirring,  and  that  a  sharp  look-out  is  nec- 
essary. And  presently  I  noticed,  ahead  of  us  seem- 
ingly, a  noise  as  of  some  one  breaking  down  branches 
or  twigs  of  trees.  This  was  the  gorilla,  I  knew  at 
once,  by  the  eager  and  satisfied  looks  of  the  men. 
They  looked  once  more  carefully  at  their  guns,  to 
see  if  by  any  chance  the  powder  had  fallen  out  of 
the  pans ;  I  also  examined  mine,  to  make  sure  that 
all  were  right ;  and  then  we  marched  on  cautiously. 
The  singular  noise  of  the  breaking  of  tree-branches 
continued.  We  walked  with  the  greatest  care,  mak- 
ing no  noise  at  all.  The  countenances  of  the  men 
showed  that  they  thought  themselves  engaged  in  a 
very  serious  undertaking;  but  we  pushed  on,  until 
finally  we  thought  we  saw  through  the  thick  woods 
the  moving  of  the  branches  and  small  trees  which  the 
great  beast  was  tearing  down,  probably  to  get  from 
them  the  berries  and  fruits  he  lives  on. 

"  Suddenly,  as  we  were  yet  creeping  along,  in  a  si- 
lence which  made  a  heavy  breath  seem  loud  and  dis- 
tinct, the  woods  were  at  once  filled  with  the  tremen- 
dous barking  roar  of  the  gorilla.  Then  the  under- 
brush swayed  rapidly  just  ahead,  and  presently  before 
us  stood  an   immense   male  gorilla.     He  had  gone 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  377 

through  the  jungle  on  his  all-fours  ;  but  when  he  saw 
our  party  he  erected  himself  and  looked  us  boldly  in 
the  face.  He  stood  about  a  dozen  yards  from  us,  and 
was  a  sight  I  think  never  to  forget.  Nearly  six  feet 
high  (he  proved  two  inches  shorter),  with  immense 
body,  huge  chest,  and  great  muscular  arms,  with 
fiercely-glaring  large  deep  gray  eyes,  and  a  hellish  ex- 
pression of  face,  which  seemed  to  me  like  some  night- 
mare vision  :  thus  stood  before  us  this  king  of  the 
African  forests. 

"  He  was  not  afraid  of  us.  He  stood  there,  and 
beat  his  breast  with  his  huge  fists  till  it  resounded 
like  an  immense  bass-drum,  which  is  their  mode  of 
offering  defiance  ;  meantime  giving  vent  to  roar  after 
roar. 

"  The  roar  of  the  gorilla  is  the  most  singular  and 
awful  noise  heard  in  these  African  woods.  It  begins 
with  a  sharp  bark,  like  an  angry  dog,  then  glides  into 
a  deep  bass  roll,  which  literally  and  closely  resembles 
the  roll  of  distant  thunder  along  the  sky,  for  which  I 
have  sometimes  been  tempted  to  take  it  where  I  did 
not  see  the  animal.  So  deep  is  it  that  it  seems  to 
proceed  less  from  the  mouth  and  throat  than  from 
the  deep  chest  and  vast  paunch. 

"  His  eyes  began  to  flash  fiercer  fire  as  we  stood 
motionless  on  the  defensive,  and  the  crest  of  short 
hair  which  stands  on  his  forehead  be^an  to  twitch 
rapidly  up  and  down,  while  his  powerful  fangs  were 
shown  as  he  again  sent  forth  a  thunderous  roar.  And 
now  truly  he  reminded  me  of  nothing  but  some  hell- 
ish dream  creature — a  being  of  that  hideous  order, 
half  man  half  beast,  which  we  find  pictured  by  old 


37$  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

artists  in  some  representations  of  the  infernal  re- 
gions. He  advanced  a  few  steps — then  stopped  to 
utter  that  hideous  roar  again — advanced  again,  and 
finally  stopped  when  at  a  distance  of  about  six  yards 
from  us.  And  here,  as  he  began  another  of  his  roars 
and  beating  his  breast  in  rage,  we  fired,  and  killed 
him. 

"  With  a  groan  which  had  something  terribly  human 
in  it,  and  yet  was  full  of  brutishness,  it  fell  forward 
on  its  face.  The  body  shook  convulsively  for  a  few 
minutes,  the  limbs  moved  about  in  a  struggling  way, 
and  then  all  was  quiet — death  had  done  its  work,  and 
I  had  leisure  to  examine  the  huge  body.  It  proved 
to  be  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  and  the  muscular 
development  of  the  arms  and  breast  showed  what 
immense  strength  it  had  possessed. 

"  My  men,  though  rejoicing  at  our  luck,  immediately 
began  to  quarrel  about  the  apportionment  of  the 
meat — for  they  really  eat  this  creature.  I  saw  that 
we  should  come  to  blows  presently  if  I  did  not  inter- 
fere, and  therefore  said  I  should  give  each  man  his 
share,  which  satisfied  all.  As  we  were  too  tired  to 
return  to  our  camp  of  last  night,  we  determined  to 
camp  here  on  the  spot,  and  accordingly  soon  had 
some  shelters  erected  and  dinner  going  on.  Luckily, 
one  of  the  fellows  shot  a  deer  just  as  we  began  to 
camp,  and  on  its  meat  I  feasted  while  my  men  ate 
gorilla." 

Another  hunt  resulted  fatally  to  one  of  the  natives. 
It  is  thus  related : 

"  The  next  day  we  went  on  a  gorilla-hunt.  All  the 
olako  was  busy  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival  with 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  379 

preparations ;  and  as  meat  was  scarce,  everybody  had 
joyful  anticipations  of  hunger  satisfied  and  plenty  in 
the  camp.  Little  did  we  guess  what  frightful  death 
was  to  befall  one  of  our  number  before  the  next 
sunset. 

"  I  gave  powder  to  the  whole  party.  Six  were  to 
go  off  in  one  direction  for  bush-deer,  and  whatever 
luck  might  send  them,  and  six  others,  of  whom  I  was 
one,  were  to  hunt  for  gorilla.  We  set  off  toward  a 
dark  valley,  where  Gambo,  Igoumba's  son,  said  we 
should  find  our  prey.  The  gorilla  chooses  the  dark- 
est, gloomiest  forests  for  its  home,  and  is  found  on 
the  edges  of  the  clearings  only  when  in  search  of 
plantains,  or  sugar-cane,  or  pine-apple.  Often  they 
choose  for  their  peculiar  haunt  a  piece  of  wood  so 
dark  that  even  at  midday  one  can  scarce  see  ten 
yards.  This  makes  it  the  more  necessary  to  wait  till  the 
monstrous  beast  approaches  near  before  shooting,  in 
order  that  the  first  shot  may  be  fatal.  It  does  not 
often  let  the  hunter  reload. 

"  Our  little  party  separated,  as  is  the  custom,  to 
stalk  the  wood  in  various  directions.  Gambo  and  I 
kept  together.  One  brave  fellow  went  off  alone  in  a 
direction  where  he  thought  he  could  find  a  gorilla. 
The  other  three  took  another  course.  We  had  been 
about  an  hour  separated  when  Gambo  and  I  heard  a 
gun  fired  but  little  way  from  us,  and  presently  another. 
We  were  already  on  our  way  to  the  spot  where  we 
hoped  to  see  a  gorilla  slain,  when  the  forest  began  to 
resound  with  the  most  terrific  roars.  Gambo  seized 
my  arms  in  great  agitation,  and  we  hurried  on,  both 
filled  with  a  dreadful  and  sickening  fear.     We  had 


380  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

not  gone  far  when  our  worst  fears  were  realized. 
The  poor  brave  fellow  who  had  gone  off  alone  was 
lying  on  the  ground  in  a  pool  of  his  own  blood,  and 
I  thought  at  first  quite  dead.  His  bowels  were  pro- 
truding through  the  lacerated  abdomen.  Beside  him 
lay  his  gun.  The  stock  was  broken,  and  the  barrel 
was  bent  and  flattened.  It  bore  plainly  the  marks  of 
the  gorilla's  teeth. 

"  We  picked  him  up,  and  I  dressed  his  wounds  as 
well  as  I  could  with  rags  torn  from  my  clothes. 
When  I  had  given  him  a  little  brandy  to  drink  he 
came  to  himself,  and  was  able,  but  with  great  diffi- 
culty, to  speak.  He  said  that  he  had  met  the  gor- 
illa suddenly  and  face  to  face,  and  that  it  had  not  at- 
tempted to  escape.  It  was,  he  said,  a  huge  male,  and 
seemed  very  savage.  It  was  in  a  very  gloomy  part 
of  the  wood,  and  the  darkness,  I  suppose,  made  him 
miss.  He  said  he  took  good  aim,  and  fired  when  the 
beast  was  only  about  eight  yards  off.  The  ball 
merely  wounded  it  in  the  side.  It  at  once  began 
beating  its  breasts,  and  with  the  greatest  rage  ad- 
vanced upon  him. 

"  To  run  away  was  impossible.  He  would  have 
been  caught  in  the  jungle  before  he  had  gone  a  dozen 
steps.  He  stood  his  ground,  and  as  quickly  as  he 
could  reloaded  his  gun.  Just  as  he  raised  it  to  fire 
the  gorilla  dashed  it  out  of  his  hands,  the  gun  going 
off  in  the  fall,  and  then  in  an  instant,  and  with  a  terri- 
ble roar,  the  animal  gave  him  a  tremendous  blow  with 
its  immense  paw,  frightfully  lacerating  the  abdomen, 
and  with  this  single  blow  laying  bare  part  of  the  in- 
testines.    As  he  sank,  bleeding,  to  the  ground,  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  38 1 

monster  seized  the  gun,  and  the  poor  hunter  thought 
he  would  have  his  brains  dashed  out  with  it.  But 
the  gorilla  seemed  to  have  looked  upon  this  also  as 
an  enemy,  and  in  his  rage  flattened  the  barrel  be- 
tween his  strong  jaws. 

"  When  we  came  upon  the  ground  the  gorilla  was 
gone.  This  is  their  mode  when  attacked — to  strike 
one  or  two  blows,  and  then  leave  the  victims  of  their 
rage  on  the  ground  and  go  off  into  the  woods." 

During  his  explorations  in  equatorial  Africa,  Du 
Chaillu  discovered  two  new  species  of  ape —  Troglod- 
ytes calvus  and  T.  Koola-Kamba — and  also  a  number 
of  other  mamalians,  birds,  serpents,  and  reptiles,  be- 
fore unknown  to  naturalists. 

Contrary  to  a  somewhat  prevalent  belief,  many  dis- 
eases prevail  among  wild  animals.  "  The  free  life  of 
nature"  is  subject  to  woes,  and  needs  the  physician's 
aid,  after  all.  "  I  have  seen,"  says  Dr.  Livingstone, 
"  the  gnu,  kama  or  hartebeest,  the  tressebe,  kukama, 
and  the  giraffe,  so  mangy  as  to  be  uneatable  even  by 
the  natives.  Great  numbers  also  of  zebras  are  found 
dead  with  masses  of  foam  at  the  nostrils,  exactly  as 
occurs  in  the  common  '  horse-sickness.'  I  once  found 
a  buffalo  blind  from  ophthalmia  standing  by  the  foun- 
tain Otse.  The  rhinoceros  has  often  worms  on  the 
conjunction  of  his  eyes.  All  the  wild  animals  are 
subject  to  intestinal  worms  besides.  The  zebra,  gi- 
raffe, eland,  and  kukuma  have  been  seen  mere  skele- 
tons from  decay  of  their  teeth  as  well  as  from  disease. 
The  carnivera,  too,  become  diseased  and  mangy ; 
lions  become  lean  and  perish  miserably  by  reason  of 
the  decay  of  the  teeth."     Cumming  also   speaks  of 


382  Explorations  in  Africa. 

seeing  extensive  plains  thickly  covered  with  the 
bones  of  wild  animals  which  had  died  of  disease. 

As  a  rule,  however,  the  animals  are  healthy.  Their 
variety  and  vast  numbers  are  beyond  calculation.  In 
a  single  day,  Cumming  saw  the  fresh  spoor  of  about 
twenty  varieties  of  "  large  game"  and  most  of  the  an- 
imals themselves.  These  included  elephant,  black  and 
white  rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  camelopard,  buffalo, 
blue  wildebeest,  zebra,  water-buck,  sassayby,  koodoo, 
pallah,  springbok,  serolomootlooque,  wild  boar,  dui- 
ker, steinbok,  lion,  leopard.  This  is  the  habitat  also 
of  keilton,  eland,  oryx,  roan  antelope,  sable  antelope, 
hartebeest,  klipspringer,  grys  stein  buck,  and  reitbuck. 
A  little  farther  on  he  thus  speaks  of  the  game  he  saw 
while  taking  breakfast : 

"We  resumed  our  march  at  daybreak  on  the  28th, 
and  held  on  through  boundless  open  plains.  As  we 
advanced,  game  became  more  and  more  abundant. 
In  about  two  hours  we  reached  a  fine  fountain,  be- 
side which  was  a  small  cover  of  trees  and  bushes, 
which  afforded  an  abundant  supply  of  fire-wood. 
Here  we  outspanned  for  breakfast :  it  was  a  fine  cool 
morning,  with  a  pleasant  breeze.  The  country  was 
thickly  covered  with  immense  herds  of  game,  consist- 
ing of  zebra,  wildebeest,  blesbok,  and  springbok. 
There  could  not  have  been  less  than  (ive  or  six  thou- 
sand head  of  game  in  sight  of  me  as  I  sat  at  break- 
fast. Presently  the  whole  of  this  game  began  to  take 
alarm.  Herd  joined  herd,  and  took  away  up  the 
wind ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  other  vast  herds  came 
pouring  on.  up  the  wind,  covering  the  whole  breadth 
of  the  plain  with  a  living  mass  of  noble  game." 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  383 

And  again : 

"  When  the  sun  rose  next  morning  I  took  coffee, 
and  then  rode  west  with  two  after-riders,  in  the  hope 
of  getting  some  blesbok  shooting.  I  found  the 
boundless  undulating  plains  thickly  covered  with 
game,  thousands  upon  thousands  checkering  the 
landscape  far  as  the  eye  could  strain  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  blesboks,  which  I  was  most  desirous  to 
obtain,  were  extremely  wary,  and  kept  pouring  on, 
on  up  the  wind  in  long  continued  streams  of  thou- 
sands, so  swift  and  shy  that  it  was  impossible  to  get 
within  six  hundred  yards  of  them,  or  even  by  any 
stratagem  to  waylay  them,  so  boundless  was  the 
ground,  and  so  cunningly  did  they  avoid  crossing  our 
track." 

It  might  thus  appear  that  if  there  is  a  sportsman's 
paradise  anywhere  it  is  Africa. 

Perhaps  it  would  not  be  too  much  to  say  that 
about  all  the  birds  known  to  ornithology,  and  many 
yet  unknown  in  the  books  upon  that  science  are  to 
be  found  in  Africa.  The  ostrich,  the  largest  of  birds, 
is  found  only  in  Africa.  It  sometimes  attains  the 
height  of  eight  feet.  It  is  swift  of  foot,  its  cry  is 
much  like  the  roar  of  the  lion,  and  its  appearance  at 
a  distance  is  very  stately ;  but  it  is  extremely  stupid. 
Its  feathers  have  long  been  highly  valued  in  com- 
merce. Another  most  remarkable  bird,  peculiar  to 
Africa,  is  the  secretary.  This  is  a  bird  of  prey,  feed- 
ing solely  on  serpents,  which  it  pursues  on  foot  and 
destroys  in  great  numbers.  It  has  been  described 
as  "  an  eagle,  mounted  on  the  long,  naked  legs  of  a 
crane."     Waterfowl  of  all  kinds  abound,  and  there 


384  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

are  wild  geese  which  have  brilliant  and  variegated 
plumage.  The  most  of  the  forests  of  South  Africa 
are  alive  with  countless  numbers  of  an  almost  end- 
less variety  of  birds,  but  in  the  equatorial  regions 
they  are  much  less  numerous,  though  there  are  many 
of  those  varieties  which  are  characterized  by  bright, 
gorgeous  plumage. 

"  Snake  stories"  are  proverbially  tinged  with  the 
colors  of  the  imagination  ;  but  the  serpents  and  rep- 
tiles of  Africa  are  no  jesting  topic  to  the  inhabitants. 
Many  of  the  serpents  are  particularly  venomous. 
Dr.  Livingstone  states  that  the  picakholu  is  so  copi- 
ously supplied  with  poison,  that  "when  a  number  of 
dogs  attack  it,  the  first  bitten  dies  almost  instantane- 
ously, the  second  in  about  five  minutes,  the  third  in 
an  hour  or  so,  while  the  fourth  may  live  several 
hours."  The  puff  adder  and  several  vipers  are  very 
dangerous.  There  is  one  which  "  utters  a  cry  by  night 
exactly  like  the  bleating  of  a  kid.  It  is  supposed  by 
the  natives  to  lure  travellers  to  itself  by  this  bleating." 
Several  varieties,  when  alarmed,  emit  a  peculiar  odor, 
by  which  their  presence  is  made  known.  The  deadly 
cobra  exists  in  several  colors  or  varieties.  There  are 
various  species  of  tree-climbing  serpents,  which  ap- 
pear to  have  the  power  of  fascination.  This  belief  of 
Dr.  Livingstone  in  the  fascinating  power  of  some  ser- 
pents is  also  entertained  by  Mr.  Du  Chaillu,  and 
avowed  as  correct  by  the  eminent  naturalist,  Dr. 
Andrew  Smith  in  his  "  Reptilia."  The  eminent  hunter 
of  the  gorilla  says  the  presence  of  serpents  in  Africa 
is  a  "great  blessing  to  the  country.  They  destroy 
great  numbers  of  rats  and  mice,  and   other  of  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  385 

smaller  quadrupeds  which  injure  the  native  provi- 
sions ;  and  it  is  but  just  to  say  they  are  peacefully  in- 
clined, and  never  attack  man  unless  trodden  on. 
They  are  glad  enough  to  get  out  of  the  way  ;  and  the 
most  feared  snake  I  saw  in  Africa  (the  Echidna  nasi- 
cornis)  was  one  which  is  very  slow  in  its  movements, 
from  which  cause  it  happens  that  it  oftener  bites  peo- 
ple than  others,  being  unable  to  get  out  of  the  way 
quickly.  Though  serpents  abound  in  all  parts  of  the 
country,  I  have  travelled  a  month  at  a  time  without 
seeing  one."  The  natives,  though  bare  legged,  are 
rarely  bitten.  There  are  several  species  of  boa,  which 
attain  great  size  and  weight.  The  variety  known  as 
the  natal  rock  python,  which  is  often  seen  in  interior 
south  Africa,  though  entirely  without  venom,  like 
other  boas,  is  very  destructive  of  birds  and  animals. 
"  They  are  perfectly  harmless,"  says  Dr.  Livingstone, 
"  and  live  on  small  animals,  chiefly  the  rodentia ;  oc- 
casionally the  steinbuck  and  pallah  fall  victims,  and 
are  sucked  into  its  comparatively  small  mouth  in  boa- 
constrictor  fashion.  The  flesh  is  much  relished  by 
Bakalahari  and  Bushmen.  They  carry  away  each  his 
portion,  like  logs  of  wood,  over  their  shoulders." 
Cumming  killed  one  of  these  boas  measuring  four- 
teen feet  in  length.  They  have  been  known  to  meas- 
ure nearly  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  to  capture  and 
swallow  half-grown  cattle.  The  Caffre  of  South  Af- 
rica is  very  skilful  in  slaying  the  python  with  his 
spear.  He  is  thus  often  pinned  to  the  earth  by  a 
single  throw  and  dispatched  at  leisure;  then  cut  up 
into  snake-logs  and  carried  off  for  food. 

Among  the  innumerable  insects  of  Africa — the  fa- 


386  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

tal  tsetse  fly  and  the  devastating  locust  have  already 
been  mentioned — the  most  interesting,  perhaps,  is  the 
ant.  It  exists  in  great  variety  and  prodigious  num- 
bers. There  are  countless  ant-hills  in  different  parts 
of  Africa,  which  are  larger  than  a  majority  of  the  in- 
dividual homes  of  the  natives  of  the  southern  and 
central  portions  of  the  continent.  Human  works,  to 
be  of  the  same  relative  size  as  these  homes  of  insects 
would  tower  five  or  six  times  above  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt,  and  would  require  a  base  correspondingly 
large.  Among  themselves  in  Africa  some  of  the  spe- 
cies are  warriors  and  cannibals ;  they  fight  their  ene- 
mies and  eat  the  vanquished.  Other  species  are  ex- 
ceedingly destructive  of  the  timbers  of  houses,  eating 
out  the  insides  and  leaving  useless  shells.  Others 
consume  vast  quantities  of  decaying  animal  matter, 
and  still  others  the  decaying  vegetation,  including 
great  trees,  of  the  tropics.  Many  are  exceedingly 
fierce  in  nature.  Among  these  is  the  bashikouay  ant 
of  equatorial  Africa.  It  is,  perhaps,  relatively  the 
most  voracious  of  all  living  things,  and  the  most  de- 
structive. Unlike  other  large-sized  ants  it  does  not 
build  houses,  but  excavates  holes  in  the  earth  for 
place  of  retreat  during  storms.  Its  nature  and  babits 
are  fully  described  by  Du  Chaillu  : 

"  This  ant  is  very  abundant  in  the  whole  region  I 
have  travelled  over  in  Africa.  It  is  the  dread  of  all 
living  animals  from  the  leopard  to  the  smallest  in- 
sect. It  is  their  habit  to  march  through  the  forests 
in  a  long  regular  line — a  line  about  two  inches  broad 
and  often  several  miles  in  length.  All  along  this  line 
are  larger  ants,  who  act  as  officers,  stand  outside  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  387 

ranks,  and  keep  this  singular  army  in  order.  If  they 
come  to  a  place  where  there  are  no  trees  to  shelter 
them  from  the  sun,  whose  heat  they  can  not  bear, 
they  immediately  build  underground  tunnels,  through 
which  the  whole  army  passes  in  columns  to  the  for- 
est beyond.  These  tunnels  are  four  or  five  feet  un- 
derground, and  are  used  only  in  the  heat  of  the  day 
or  during  a  storm. 

"  When  they  get  hungry  the  long  file  spreads  itself 
through  the  forest  in  a  front  line,  and  attacks  and 
devours  all  it  comes  to  with  a  fury  which  is  quite 
irresistible.  The  elephant  and  gorilla  fly  before  this 
attack.  The  black  men  run  for  their  lives.  Every 
animal  that  lives  in  their  line  of  mareh  is  chased. 
They  seem  to  understand  and  act  upon  the  tactics  of 
Napoleon,  and  concentrate,  with  great  speed,  their 
heaviest  forces  upon  the  point  of  attack.  In  an  in- 
credibly short  space  of  time  the  mouse,  or  dog,  or 
leopard,  or  deer  is  overwhelmed,  killed,  eaten,  and 
the  bare  skeleton  only  remains. 

"  They  seem  to  travel  night  and  day.  Many  a  time 
have  I  been  awakened  out  of  a  sleep,  and  obliged  to 
rush  from  the  hut  and  into  the  water  to  save  my  life, 
and  after  all  suffered  intolerable  agony  from  the  bites 
of  the  advance-guard,  who  had  got  into  my  clothes. 
When  they  enter  a  house  they  clear  it  of  all  living 
things.  Roaches  are  devoured  in  an  instant.  Rats 
and  mice  spring  round  the  room  in  vain.  An  over- 
whelming force  of  ants  kills  a  strong  rat  in  less  than 
a  minute,  in  spite  of  the  most  frantic  struggles,  and 
in  less  than  another  minute  its  bones  are  stripped. 
Every  living  thing  in  the  house  is  devoured.     They 


388  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

will  not  touch  vegetable  matter.  Thus  they  are  in 
reality  very  useful  (as  well  as  dangerous)  to  the  ne- 
groes, who  have  their  huts  cleaned  of  all  the  abound- 
ing vermin,  such  as  immense  roaches  and  centipedes 
at  least  several  times  a  year. 

"  When  on  their  march  the  insect  world  flies  before 
them,  and  I  have  often  had  the  approach  of  a  bashi- 
kouay  army  heralded  to  me  by  this  means.  Wher- 
ever they  go  they  make  a  clean  sweep,  even  ascending 
to  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees  in  pursuit  of  their 
prey.  Their  manner  of  attack  is  an  impetuous  leap. 
Instantly  the  strong  pincers  are  fastened,  and  they 
only  let  go  when  the  piece  gives  away.  At  such  times 
this  little  animal  seems  animated  by  a  kind  of  fury 
which  causes  it  to  disregard  entirely  its  own  safety, 
and  to  seek  only  the  conquest  of  its  prey.  The  bite 
is  very  painful. 

"  The  negroes  relate  that  criminals  were  in  for- 
mer times  exposed  in  the  path  of  the  bashikouay 
ants,  as  the  most  cruel  manner  of  putting  to  death. 

"  Two  very  remarkable  practices  of  theirs  remain  to 
be  related.  When,  on  their  line  of  march,  they  must 
cross  a  stream,  they  throw  themselves  across  and  form 
a  tunnel — a  living  tunnel — connecting  two  trees  or 
high  bushes  on  opposite  sides  of  the  little  stream. 
This  is  done  with  great  speed,  and  is  effected  by  a 
great  number  of  ants,  each  of  which  clings  with  its  fore 
claws  to  its  next  neighbors  body  or  hind  claws.  Thus 
they  form  a  high,  safe  tubular  bridge,  through  which 
the  whole  vast  regiment  marches  in  regular  order. 
If  disturbed,  or  if  the  arch  is  broken  by  the  violence 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  389 

of  some  animal,  they  instantly  attack  the  offender 
with  the  greatest  animosity. 

M  The  bashikouay  have  the  sense  of  smell  finely  de- 
veloped, as  indeed  have  all  the  ants  I  know  of,  and 
they  are  guided  very  much  by  it.  They  are  larger 
than  any  ant  we  have  in  America,  being  at  least  half 
an  inch  long,  and  are  armed  with  very  powerful  fore 
legs  and  sharp  jaws,  with  which  they  bite.  They  are 
red  or  dark-brown  in  color.  Their  numbers  are  so 
great  that  one  does  not  like  to  enter  into  calcula- 
tions; but  I  have  seen  one  continual  line  passing  at 
good  speed  a  particular  place  for  twelve  hours.  The 
reader  may  imagine  for  himself  how  many  millions 
on  millions  there  may  have  been  contained  here." 

And  yet  the  ants  of  Africa  are  the  chief  agents 
employed  in  forming  a  fertile  soil.  "  But  for  their 
labors,"  remarks  Dr.  Livingstone,  "  the  tropical  for- 
ests, bad  as  they  now  are  with  fallen  trees,  would  be 
a  thousand  times  worse.  They  would  be  impassible 
on  account  of  the  heaps  of  dead  vegetation  lying  on 
the  surface,  and  emitting  worse  effluvia  than  the  com- 
paratively small  unburied  collections  do  now.  When 
one  looks  at  the  wonderful  adaptations  throughout 
creation,  and  the  varied  operations  carried  on  with 
such  wisdom  and  skill,  the  idea  of  second  causes  looks 
clumsy.  We  are  viewing  the  direct  handiwork  of 
Him  who  is  the  one  and  only  Power  in  the  universe; 
wonderful  in  counsel ;  in  whom  we  all  live,  and  move 
and  have  our  being." 

There  are  vast  numbers  of  annoying  insects  in  all 
portions  of  the  continent,  which  in  this  respect,  per- 
haps, is  neither  better  nor  worse  than  other  parts  of 


39° 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


the  world,  where  little  annoyances  make  up  the  great 
sum  of  human  misery.  It  is  only  one  of  many  proofs 
that  Africa  is  the  region  of  contrasts,  that  the  great- 
est animals  flee  from  a  little  insect,  the  life  of  scores 
of  whom  might  be  stamped  out  by  a  single  footstep, 
yet  the  aggregate  labors  of  which  preserve  the  conti- 
nent from  desolation  and  decay. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

AFRICAN  TREES  AND   VEGETATION. 

Brief  Notice  of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom  of  Africa — Immense  Deserts  and  Pro- 
digious, Tower-like  Trees — Grasses  Higher  than  a  Man  on  Horseback — The 
Cotton  Plant — General  Remarks. 

There  are  so  many  anomalies  in  this  continent  of 
contrasts  that  it  seems  quite  of  course  to  observe  that 
nowhere  else  can  be  found  such  vast  extent  of  sandy, 
barren  wastes,  and  such  immense  expanse  of  forest 
whose  trees,  and  vines,  and  jungle  fairly  shut  out  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  leave  the  earth  in  eternal  shade 
and  gloom.  Much  the  larger  share  of  North  Africa 
is  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  great  Desert  of 
Sahara,  which,  though  in  some  respects  not  correctly 
represented  to  the  reading  public,  not  only  covers  a 
vast  expanse  on  this  continent,  but  extends  its  bleak 
and  dreary  nature  far  eastward  of  Africa,  not  ending 
until  after  it  has  passed  through  Arabia,  Persia,  cen- 
tral Asia,  and  penetrated  the  confines  of  the  Chinese 
Empire.  So  in  South  Africa  we  have  the  Kalahari 
Desert,  often  mentioned  in  this  work,  which,  though 
singularly  covered  with  herbage  and  abounding  in 
wild  beasts,  is  much  of  the  time  almost  entirely  un- 
traversable  by  man  on  account  of  the  want  of  water. 
It  is  coursed  by  the  beds  of  many  rivers  which,  ages 
ago,  were  doubtless  perennial  streams  of  flowing 
23  391 


392  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

water,   now  as  dry  and  uninviting  as   the  sands  of 
Sahara. 

There  are  also  extensive  treeless  plains — in  Amer- 
ica called  prairies — whose  soil  is  rich,  supporting 
great  quantities  of  luxuriant  grasses  and  an  infinite 
variety  of  shrubs  and  flowers.  Over  these,  as  we 
have  seen,  roam  countless  numbers  of  wild  animals. 
Over  a  large  portion  of  the  watershed  of  South 
Africa,  are  immense  "  flats,"  covered  with  water  dur- 
ing the  long  season  of  rains,  but  in  the  dry  season 
presenting  to  the  eyes  a  boundless  expanse  of  infinite- 
ly variegated  flowers. 

Bounding  these  deserts,  treeless  plains,  and  flats, 
are  forests  of  almost  inconceivable  extent,  covered 
with  thick  jungle  and  the  greatest  variety  of  trees. 

The  magnificent  trees  which  Dr.  Livingstone  found 
along  the  banks  of  the  Zouga  river,  have  already  been 
spoken  of.*  The  baobab  is  equal  in  size  to  the  fa- 
mous great  trees  of  California,  the  immense  hollow 
trunk  of  one  of  which  has  been  exhibited  as  a  curios- 
ity in  most  portions  of  the  United  States.  In  some 
parts  of  the  Bechuana  country  the  remains  of  ancient 
forests  of  wild  olives  and  of  the  camel-thorn  are  still 
to  be  met  with.  "It  is  probable,"  says  Dr.  Living- 
stone, "  that  this  (the  camel-thorn — Acacia  giraffe)  is 
the  tree  of  which  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  and  the 
Tabernacle  were  constructed,  as  it  is  reported  to  be 
found  where  the  Israelites  were  at  the  time  these 
were  made.  It  is  an  imperishable  wood,  while  that 
usually  pointed  out  as  the  'shittim'  soon   decays,  and 

.    *  See  page  67,  ante. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  393 

wants  beauty."  The  baobab,  already  mentioned,  has 
a  vitality  almost  imperishable.  "  No  external  injury," 
says  Livingstone,  "  not  even  a  fire,  can  destroy  this 
tree  from  without ;  nor  can  any  injury  be  done  from 
within,  as  it  is  quite  common  to  find  it  hollow ;  and  I 
have  seen  one  in  which  twenty  or  thirty  men  could 
lie  down  and  sleep  as  in  a  hut.  Nor  does  cutting 
down  exterminate  it,  for  I  saw  instances  in  Angola  in 
which  it  continued  to  grow  in  length  after  it  was  lying 
on  the  ground."  In  fact  the  baobab,  or  mowana  as  it 
is  often  called,  has  the  qualities  of  both  exogenous 
and  endogenous  trees,  and  is  rather  a  gigantic  bulb 
than  either.  It  is  often  seen  with  its  branches  ex- 
tending down  to  the  ground  and  taking  root,  after 
the  manner  of  the  banyan.  The  wood  of  this  giant 
of  the  forest  is  so  spongy  and  soft  that  an  axe  can  be 
struck  in  so  far  with  a  good  blow  that  there  is  great 
difficulty  in  pulling  it  out  again. 

The  mopane  tree  {bauhinia)  is  remarkable  for  the 
little  shade  it  affords,  and  its  astonishing  capacity  for 
being  struck  by  lightning.  The  natives  say  "  light- 
ning hates  it."  The  wood  is  hard,  of  a  light  red  color, 
and  called  iron-wood  by  the  Portuguese.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  is  a  fine  tree,  called  the  morala,  which  has 
n ever  been  known  to  be  struck  by  lightning.  Branches 
of  it  may  be  seen  on  the  huts  of  the  natives  and  the 
houses  of  the  Portuguese  of  East  Africa,  as  a  protec- 
tion  against  lightning*     A  tree  which  the   natives 

*  Cumming  thus  describes  the  baobab,  or  mowana,  under  the  name  of  nwana: 
It  is  about  this  latitude  that  the  traveller  will  first  meet  with  the  gigantic  and 
castle-like  nwana,  which  is  decidedly  the  most  striking  and  wonderful  tree 
among  the  thousands  which  adorn  the  South  African  forests.     It  is  chiefly  re- 


394  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

call  the  indoonoo  exists  in  some  portions  of  equato- 
rial Africa,  which  is  taller  and  more  graceful  than  the 

markable  on  account  of  its  extraordinary  size,  actually  resembling  a  castle  or 
tower  more  than  a  forest  tree.  Throughout  the  country  of  Bamangwato  the 
average  circumference  of  these  trees  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet ;  but  on  subse- 
quently extending  my  researches  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  throughout  the 
more  fertile  forests  which  clothe  the  boundless  tracts  through  which  the  fair 
Limpopo  winds,  I  daily  met  with  specimens  of  this  extraordinary  tree  averag- 
ing from  sixty  to  a  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and  maintaining  this  thick 
ness  to  a  height  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  when  they  diverge  into  numerous 
goodly  branches,  whose  general  character  is  abrupt  and  horizontal,  and  which  seem 
to  terminate  with  a  peculiar  suddenness.  The  wood  of  this  tree  is  soft  and  utterly 
unserviceable  ;  the  shape  of  the  leaf  is  similar  to  that  of  the  sycamore  tree,  but 
its  texture  partakes  more  of  the  fig  leaf ;  its  fruit  is  a  nut,  which  in  size  and 
shape  resembles  the  egg  of  the  swan.  A  remarkable  fact,  in  connection  with 
these  trees,  is  the  manner  in  which  they  are  disposed  throughout  the  forest. 
They  are  found  standing  singly,  or  in  rows,  invariably  at  considerable  distances 
from  one  another,  as  if  planted  by  the  hand  of  man  ;  and  from  their  wondrous 
size  and  unusual  height  (for  they  always  tower  high  above  their  surrounding 
compeers),  they  convey  the  idea  of  being  strangers  or  interlopers  on  the  ground 
they  occupy. 

And  toward  the  close  of  his  work  he  says :  The  shoulders  and  upper  ridges 
of  the  mountains  throughout  all  that  country  are  profusely  adorned  with  the 
graceful  sandal-wood  tree,  famed  on  account  of  the  delicious  perfume  of  its 
timber.  The  leaf  of  this  tree  emits  at  every  season  of  the  year  a  powerful  and 
fragrant  perfume,  which  is  increased  by  bruising  the  leaves  in  the  hand.  Its 
leaf  is  small,  of  a  light  silvery-gray  color,  which  is  strongly  contrasted  by  the 
dark  and  dense  ever-green  foliage  of  the  moopooroo  tree,  which  also  adorns  the 
upper  ridges  of  the  mountain  ranges.  This  beautiful  tree  is  interesting,  as  pro- 
ducing the  most  delicious  and  serviceable  fruit  that  I  have  met  with  throughout 
those  distant  parts,  the  poorer  natives  subsisting  upon  it  for  several  months, 
during  which  it  continues  in  season.  The  moopooroo  is  of  the  size  and  shape 
of  a  very  large  olive.  It  is  at  first  green,  but,  gradually  ripening,  like  the  In- 
dian mango,  it  becomes  beautifully  striped  with  yellow,  and  when  perfectly  lipc 
its  color  is  the  deepest  orange.  The  fruit  is  sweet  and  mealy,  similar  to  the 
date,  and  contains  a  small  brown  seed.  It  covers  the  branches,  and  when  ripe 
the  golden  fruit  beautifully  contrasts  with  the  dark  green  leaves  of  the  tree 
which  bears  it.  Besides  the  moopooroo,  a  great  variety  of  fruits  are  met  with 
throughout  these  mountains  and  forests,  all  of  which  are  known  to,  and  gath- 
ered by,  the  natives.  I  must,  however,  forego  a  description  of  them,  as  it  would 
swell  these  pages  to  undue  bounds.  Throughout  the  densely- wooded  dells 
and  hollows  of  the  mountains  the  rosewood  tree  occurs,  of  considerable  size 
and  in  great  abundance. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  3Q5 

baobab,  but  not  of  such  immense  trunk.  It  is  from 
eight  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter  near  the  base.  The 
ebony-tree  is  found  on  high  lands.  It  is  met  with  all 
along  the  ridges  and  hills  of  equatorial  Africa.  It  is 
described  as  one  of  the  finest  and  most  graceful  trees 
of  the  African  forest.  Its  leaves  are  long,  sharp- 
pointed,  dark  green,  and  hang  in  clusters,  producing 
a  grateful  shade.  Its  bark  is  smooth  and  of  a  dark 
green  color.  The  trunk  rises  straight  and  often  to 
the  height  of  sixty  feet  without  a  branch ;  then  large 
heavy  branches  are  sent  out.  Some  of  these  valua- 
ble trees  have  a  diameter  of  five  feet  at  the  base. 
They  are  all  hollow,  when  mature,  even  the  branches. 
Next  the  bark  is  a  white  sap-wood  which  is  not  val- 
uable. This  in  an  average  tree  is  three  or  four  inches 
thick,  and  next  to  this  lies  the  ebony  of  commerce. 
The  ebony-tree  is  found  intermixed  with  others  in 
the  forest,  but  generally  in  groups  of  three  or  four 
together,  and  none  others  within  a  little  distance.  In 
the  same  regions  of  equatorial  Africa  grows  the 
liamba  plant,  whose  leaves  are  used  for  smoking  by  the 
natives,  very  much  as  the  tobacco  leaf  is  used  in  some 
countries.  Under  its  influence,  the  natives  frequently 
become  permanently  insane.  Here  also  the  India- 
rubber  vine  grows  in  great  luxuriance.  Immense 
quantities  of  land  round  about  Lake  Anengue  espe- 
cially, are  literally  covered  with  this  valuable  vine. 

The  cotton-plant  is  indigenous  in  most  portions  of 
central  and  south  Africa,  but  the  natives  have  as  yet 
paid  little  attention  to  its  cultivation.  The  cannibal 
tribes  of  central  Africa  make  mats  and  many  of  their 
garments  of  a  "grass-cloth,"  which  has  been  described 


396  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

by  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Mr.  Stanley  in  letters  here- 
tofore quoted.  The  thread  used  in  this  material  is 
obtained  from  a  species  of  palm,  a  great  number  of 
the  many  different  varieties  of  which  abound  in  Africa. 
As  for  grasses,  the  great  explorer  of  whom  this  vol- 
ume principally  treats  often  speaks  of  riding  through 
immense  extents  of  it,  taller  than  a  man  on  horse- 
back. The  vast  quantities  of  grass  and  the  great 
number  of  palms  in  Africa  suggest  the  belief  that  the 
manufacture  of  "grass-paper"  may  some  day  become 
an  important  element  in  African  commerce.  The 
date-tree  and  many  other  fruit-bearers  are  plentiful. 
If  Christian  civilization  held  her  benign  sway  over 
all  portions  of  Africa,  much  of  the  great  forest  area 
would  be  cultivated,  and  the  fertile  prairies  would 
yield  many  of  the  fruits  and  grains  by  which  the 
world  is  supplied  with  food.  The  natural  agricul- 
tural advantages  of  the  continent  are  undoubtedly 
very  great.  It  is  well  known  that  the  valley  of  the 
Nile  was  for  ages  the  granary  of  the  world.  Much  of 
it  is  no  less  fertile  now  than  when  its  products  fed 
mankind.  The  whole  of  central  Africa,  from  the  con- 
fines of  the  Desert  of  Sahara  to  beyond  the  sources 
of  the  Nile,  the  Zambesi,  and  the  Congo,  is  mostly 
suitable  to  agriculture.  A  vast  region  of  this  coun- 
try, south  of  the  great  desert,  and  nearly  across  the 
continent,  was  formerly  the  abode  of  large  numbers 
of  people,  the  remains  of  whose  cities  and  towns  at- 
test their  civilization  and  successful  agriculture. 
Here  was  the  battle-ground  in  Africa  between  Mo- 
hammedanism and  paganism ;  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  the  hosts  of  the  Prophet  were  stayed  in  their 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  397 

victorious  career  and  driven  back  upon  regions  pre- 
viously overrun  by  the  fierce  cannibal  tribes  of  equa- 
torial Africa,  who,  from  the  time  of  Herodotus,  have 
afforded  some  of  the  best  specimens  of  physical  man. 
Still  farther  south,  natural  agricultural  advantages 
are  notably  good,  except  in  the  Desert  of  Kalahari — 
redeemable  by  means  of  Artesian  wells — and  the  cli- 
mate is  extremely  salubrious  and  healthy. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  DESERT  OF  SAHARA. 

General  Description  of  the  Great  Desert  of  North  Africa — Its  Different  Divi- 
sions, Inhabitants,  and  Productions — Cities  Buried  Under  the  Sands — The 
Storms  of  Wind — Influence  of  the  Desert  upon  the  Climate  and  Civilization 
of  Europe. 

An  opinion  quite  extensively  prevails  that  the  Des- 
ert of  Sahara  is  a  vast  treeless  plain ;  a  level  expanse 
of  hot  and  dreary  sand,  with  nothing  to  disturb  the 
awful  monotony  but  an  occasional  caravan  winding  its 
weary  way  through  the  pathless  waste,  or  the  dread- 
ful simoon  driving  ,the  sands  from  their  accustomed 
place  and  hurling  them  wildly  whithersoever  it  will. 
Such,  indeed,  would  be  no  very  inaccurate  descrip- 
tion of  many  portions,  some  of  them  considerable  in 
extent,  of  this  immense  waste,  but  if  such  were  taken 
as  a  picture  of  the  whole  it  would  convey  a  false  im- 
pression. 

Perhaps  the  first  idea  which  occupies  one's  mind  in 
thinking  of  Sahara  is  in  regard  to  its  prodigious  ex- 
tent. Its  western  boundary  is  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
whose  waves  wash  these  arid  sands  from  Cape  Nuun, 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  Morocco,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Senegal,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thou- 
sand miles.  Thence  it  extends  eastward  about  three 
thousand  miles  to  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  within  the  limits  thus  generally  described 

there  is  an  area  of  nearly  2,000,000  square  miles,  be- 

*o8 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  399 

ing  about  ten  times  as  great  as  the  area  of  France, 
and  more  than  twenty  times  greater  than  that  of  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Wales,  and  Ireland  combined.  It  is 
to  be  furthermore  considered  that  Sahara,  vast 
as  it  is,  embraces  less  than  half  of  the  desert  system, 
if  we  may  so  speak,  of  which  it  forms  the  western 
portion,  for,  as  is  elsewhere  remarked,  it  pushes  itself, 
after  interruption  by  the  Nile,  the  rocky  regions  of 
Nubia  and  Abyssinia,  and  the  Red  sea,  through  Ara- 
bia, and  thousands  of  miles  eastward  to  far  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  Celestial  empire.  The  area  of  the 
whole  is  prohably  about  7,000,000  square  miles  or 
something  more  than  that  of  Europe  and  the  United 
States.  But  Sahara  itself  in  North  Africa  has  three 
times  the  extent  of  the  Mediterranean  sea.  So  vast 
an  expanse,  with  so  much  of  it  uninhabitable  and  un- 
productive, traversable  only  by  those  "  ships  of  the 
desert,"  the  patient  camels,  must  impress  the  mind 
with  gloomy  reflections,  to  be  replaced  by  brighter 
ones  only  upon  considering  further  that  in  the  won- 
derful workings  of  Nature  hence  have  been  borne  and 
are  constantly  being  borne  upon  the  wings  of  the 
viewless  winds  the  greatest  blessings  to  the  best  por- 
tions of  mankind. 

The  western  portion  of  Sahara,  which  is  called 
Sahel,  is  far  more  desolate  than  the  eastern  portion. 
In  the  latter  part  there  are  many  oases,  which  are  in- 
habitable and  productive.  Thus  we  have  not  far  from 
the  valley  of  the  Nile,  the  oases  of  Darfoor,  El  Wah, 
Great  Oasis,  Takel,  and  some  others,  of  which  the 
first  named  is  the  greatest  and  the  farthest  south. 
Northward   is  the  oasis  of  Siwah,  or    Jupiter  Am- 


400  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

mon,  Aujilah,  farther  west,  and  the  great  oasis  of  Fez- 
zan,  with  the  important  city  of  Murzuk.  The  oasis 
of  A-ir  or  Asben,  is  in  the  south-central  part  of  the 
desert.  Between  this  and  the  Atlantic  ocean  on  the 
west  and  Morocco  and  Algeria  on  the  north,  the  ex- 
panse is  as  desolate  a  region,  perhaps,  as  there  is  any 
where  on  the  globe.  For  a  considerable  distance  from 
the  ocean,  the  scene  is  a  bleak  plain  of  sand,  except 
in  the  portion  near  Senegambia,  where  many  acacias 
are  found — the  trees  which  furnish  the  gum-arabic  of 
commerce.  This  coast  region  has  a  considerable  ele- 
vation, however,  and  the  shore  consists  of  sandstone, 
generally  about  one  hundred  feet  high.  Whilst  there 
are  many  low  plains  covered  with  drifting  sands,  their 
desolation  only  increased  in  places  by  wide-spread 
coatings  of  salt  and  vast  fields  of  naked  rock  upon 
which  one  might  journey  for  days  together  without 
seeing  a  grain  of  sand  or  a  sign  of  vegetation  or  an- 
imal life,  yet  may  Sahara  be  generally  described  as  a 
region  of  elevated  plateaus  which  frequently  rise  into 
mountains  of  3,000  to  5,000  feet  elevation,  separated 
from  each  other  by  valleys  and  immense  tracts  of 
sand.  Traversing  the  Desert  from  Tripoli  one 
reaches  the  summit  of  the  Gharian  plateau  at  an 
elevation  of  2,000  feet  whence  it  gradually  slopes 
away  to  500  feet  and  in  some  places  even  below  the 
level  of  the  sea.  Farther  on  is  a  long  range  of  table 
land  called  the  Hamadah,  stretching  east  and  west 
with  an  elevation  of  almost  fifteen  hundred  feet. 
Toward  the  west  Hamadah  becomes  mountainous  and 
toward  the  east  it  breaks  into  a  vast  scene  of  huge 
cliffs  called  El-Harouj.     Toward  the  Mediterranean 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  40I 

on  the  whole  plateau  of  Hamadah  and  that  of  Mur- 
zuk,  are  dry  channels,  called  wadys,  and  small  deserts. 
The  route  then  ascends  several  hundred  feet  and 
passing  over  a  sandy  region,  with  some  expanses  of 
bare  granite,  with  an  elevation  above  the  sea  of  from 
1,000  to  2,200  feet,  continues  to  the  mountainous  re- 
gion between  Ghat  and  Asben,  where  there  is  a  wady 
at  an  elevation  of  2,956  feet  amid  mountain  peaks 
not  less  than  4,000  feet  high.  Still  further  south  the 
average  elevation  is  believed  by  Barth  to  be  about 
1,900  feet.  Vogel  discovered  similar  features  in  the 
eastern  portions  of  the  Desert,  and  concluded  that 
Sahara  is  a  vast  plateau  formation  of  the  general 
height  of  from  1,200  to  1,500  feet.  Natives  reported 
to  him  that  there  were  high  mountains  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  Desert,  and  two  ranges,  the  Borghoo 
and  the  Madschunga,  were  specially  spoken  of  as  so 
elevated  that  the  inhabitants  dress  in  furs.  Further 
west,  the  explorer  Barth  found  the  Tuariks  clad  in 
woollens  and  some  in  furs.  The  greatest  expanse  of 
sand  and  salt  is  between  Asben  and  Timbuctoo  and 
thence  on  west  to  the  ocean.  Hence  caravans  from 
Morocco  to  Timbuctoo  have  met  with  more  difficul- 
ties and  endured  more  sufferings  than  those  which 
traverse  the  Desert  from  Tripoli,  Barca,  of  Cairo. 

In  many  portions  of  this  western  waste  of  Sahara 
have  been  found  marine  shells  of  recent  species,, 
showing  that  at  no  very  remote  geological  period 
these  now  arid  plains  formed  the  bed  of  the  ocean 
Not  only  so,  but  most  astonishing  changes  have  here 
occurred  within  what  is  commonly  called  the  historic 
period.     Careful  investigations  have  discovered  that 


4<D2  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

unknown  cities  are  buried  beneath  the  drifting  sands 
of  western  Sahara,  and  where  in  former  ages  were 
fertile  territories  there  is  now  only  bleak  and  barren 
waste.  It  is  interesting  to  speculate  upon  the  ques- 
tion, Who  were  the  people  thus  engulfed  by  the 
sands  of  Sahara  ?  The  substantial  nature  of  their 
buildings,  in  so  far  as  they  have  been  disentombed, 
would  appear  to  make  it  certain  that  they  far  surpassed 
in  art  and  civilization  any  of  the  tribes  which  now  live 
near  the  scenes  of  the  invisible  ruins.  There  are  but 
two  peoples,  of  whom  we  have  historic  knowledge, 
inhabitants  of  Africa,  who  might  have  occupied  these 
buried  cities  and  cultivated  the  fruitful  territories  of 
"  the  olden  time  long  ago."  These  are  the  Egyptians 
and  the  Carthagenians.  The  ruins  can  hardly  be  those 
of  the  Egyptians,  for  they  were  essentially  a  station- 
ary people.  For  ages  they  remained  where  they  em- 
igrated, or  where  they  established  themselves  after 
their  first  migration.  If  the  era  of  Carthage  were 
early  enough  to  account  for  these  sand-submerged 
cities  it  might  not  be  unreasonable  to  claim  that  they 
may  have  belonged  to  the  race  of  which  Hannibal 
was  one  of  the  greatest  minds.  And  the  remarkable 
fact  that  though  Carthage  was  unquestionably  one  of 
the  most  powerful  nations  of  antiquity,  nothing  re- 
mains, by  her  own  authority,  of  her  history,  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  those  mysterious  coincidences  of 
engulfment,  considered  in  connexion  with  the  burial 
of  the  entombed  cities  of  Sahara,  for  which  we  can- 
not account  and  which  yet  have  a  powerful  effect  not 
only  upon  the  imagination  but  the  reason.  Carthage 
left  nothing  of  her  literature,  her  arts,  her  language- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  403 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  coins  there  are  no  mon- 
uments remaining  even  of  a  commerce  whose  sails 
whitened  every  known  sea.  And  yet  this  nation  of 
which  absolutely  nothing  remains,  was  able,  on  the 
very  day  when  the  Greeks  defeated  Xerxes,  at  Sala- 
mis  (480  b.  c.)  to  bring  into  action  300,000  men  in 
Sicily.  It  is  doubtful  whether  England  could  trans- 
port so  large  an  army  across  the  British  Channel  to- 
day. Though  in  after  times,  when  Carthage  main- 
tained her  wars  with  Rome,  her  armies  were  not  so 
large,  yet  the  country  must  have  been  both  extensive 
and  populous  which  could  at  once  transport  an  army 
of  a  hundred  thousand  men  across  the  Mediterranean. 
No  less,  with  large  numbers  of  horses,  was  the  force 
with  which  Hannibal  embarked  on  his  last  great  cam- 
paign, and  with  whichhe  succeeded,  after  various  for- 
tunes, in  thundering  at  the  very  gates  of  Rome.  Re- 
gions of  fertility  and  dense  population  round  about 
Carthage  must,  it  would  seem  but  natural,  have  been 
greater  in  those  times  than  now.  Perhaps  valuable 
evidences  of  the  literature,  arts,  and  institutions  of 
this  extinguished  nationality  may  some  day  be  re- 
vealed under  the  sands  of  the  Great  Desert. 

The  western  portion  of  the  Desert  is  inhabited  by 
Moors  and  Arabs,  who  live  in  tents  and  move  about 
frequently  from  place  to  place.  The  Moors  are  a 
branch  of  those  who  dwell  in  Morocco.  In  color  they 
are  nearly  black,  with  straight  hair,  slight  physical 
frames,  and  slender  legs.  They  are  all  able  to  read 
the  Koran.  Numerous  tribes  of  the  Tuariks  inhabit 
the  central  portions  of  the  desert.  With  the  finest 
of  physical  natures   they  are  a  robber    race,  brave 


404  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

cruel,  and  revengeful,  but  with  a  certain  hospitality 
which  is  the  redeeming  trait  in  the  general  unworthi- 
ness  of  their  character.  The  Tibboos  occupy  the 
eastern  and  least  desolate  portion  of  the  desert.  They 
much  resemble  the  negroes  in  feature,  and  are  an 
agricultural  and  pastoral  people,  living  in  fixed  abodes. 
Not  a  few  of  the  Tibboos  are  pagans,  the  other  in- 
habitants of  the  Desert  being  all  Mohammedans. 

Throughout  this  vast  expanse,  there  are,  except  on 
the  oases,  but  few  productions  of  value  to  man.  Iron 
is  found  in  considerable  quantities  east  of  Fezzan. 
Salt  is  abundant  all  along  the  southern  portion  of  the 
desert  west  of  Asben.  Here  and  there  are  accacias, 
here  and  there  groves  of  the  date-palm. 

One  of  the  greatest  terrors  of  the  Desert  is  the 
wind  which  sometimes  blows  with  great  force  and 
velocity,  lifting  up  vast  quantities  of  sand  and  hurling 
them  madly  through  the  air.  The  simoon  which  oc- 
curs in  India  atid  Arabia,  and  which  would  appear  to 
be  a  narrow  wave  of  intensely  hot,  sulphurous  air, 
does  not,  perhaps,  afflict  any  portion  of  Sahara.  But 
when  the  ordinary  winds  of  the  Desert  grow  into  a 
gale  or  a  whirlwind,  their  effects  are  oftentimes  fatal 
and  terrible  in  the  extreme.  Frequently  a  thick  cloud 
of  sand  may  be  seen  rapidly  borne  by  the  wind  at  a 
distance  of  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  Such 
sand-clouds  often  extend  over  vast  expanses.  If  then  a 
whirlwind  comes  on,  the  effects  are  often  no  less  than 
awful.  By  such  fearful  storms  whole  caravans,  con- 
sisting of  thousands  of  camels  and  men  have  been 
suddenly  buried  alive.  \ 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  fact  connected  with 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  405 

the  Desert  of  Sahara  is  the  effect  it  produces,  if  we 
may  believe  the  testimony  of  men  of  science  who 
have  investigated  the  subject,  upon  the  climate  of 
Europe.  It  has  been  stated  that  what  is  now  the 
Desert  of  Sahara  was  occupied  by  the  ocean  at  a 
comparatively  recent  geological  period.  Some  of  the 
facts  which  have  brought  scientists  to  this  conclusion 
will  be  set  forth  when  we  come  to  speak  of  the  geol- 
ogy of  Africa.  Here  taking  the  conclusion  for  grant- 
ed, it  may  be  interesting  to  speculate  how  far  this 
great  change  of  the  earth's  surface  has  affected  the 
climate  farther  north.  If  the  Desert  of  Sahara  were 
ocean,  the  "Fohn,"  instead  of  being  a  burning,  dry  wind, 
which  strikes  the  snow  off  the  Alps  both  by  melting 
and  by  evaporation,  would  be  a  moist,  damp  wind, 
When  it  reached  the  crests  of  those  mountains  it  would 
produce  dense  clouds  and  thick  fogs  which  would 
prevent  the  rays  of  the  sun  from  warming  the  earth 
or  melting  the  glaciers.  In  a  word,  the  Desert  of  Sa- 
hara, so  generally  regarded  as  the  most  desolate  por- 
tion of  the  earth,  appears  to  be  the  furnace  by  which 
much  of  Europe  has  been  warmed  out  of  a  state  of 
frigid  discomfort  into  a  temperate  and  genial  climate. 
For  geology  clearly  teaches  us  that  while  what  we, 
now  call  Sahara  was  covered  with  water,  the  great 
glaciers  were  advanced  far  beyond  their  present  limits, 
giving  the  region  to  a  hyperborean  climate  and  a  hy- 
perborean fauna.  The  reindeer  and  the  musk-ox 
roamed  south  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean 
when  man  first  made  his  appearance  in  Europe.  Ani- 
mals which  we  now  find  only  in  Greenland,  and  the 
coldest    habitable    countries  lived  where  frosts  now 


406  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

rarely  come,  in  those  remote  times  when  the  Desert 
of  Sahara  was  ocean. 

Not  many  years  ago,  Napoleon  III.,  then  Emper- 
or of  the  French,  with  the  object,  it  is  believed,  of 
moderating  the  heated  terms  in  the  French  colony 
of  Algeria,  bordering  on  the  northern  boundary  of 
Sahara,  directed  a  considerable  corps  of  engineers  to 
examine  into  the  practicability  of  transferring  Sahara 
back  again  to  ocean.  The  idea  was  doubtless  sug- 
gested to  the  astute  mind  of  the  Emperor  by  the  fact 
that  Sahara  had  become  dry  land  more  recently  than 
any  other  portion  of  the  globe,  and  it  was  well  known 
that  there  were  many  large  expanses  within  its  bor- 
ders lower  than  the  level  of  the  sea.  They  reported 
that  a  great  portion  of  the  Desert  could  be  without 
impracticable  expense  turned  again  into  sea,  but  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that  the  meteorological  effects 
would  be  disastrous  to  the  climate  and  eventually  to 
the  civilization  of  Europe.  And  this  opinion  is,  most 
probably,  entirely  correct. 

It  is,  then,  however  remarkable  it  may  appear,  the 
fact  that  the  continent  of  Europe  owes  all  of  its  pro- 
gress in  civilization,  the  arts,  and  sciences,  beyond 
that  made  by  such  men  as  live  where  the  reindeer 
and  musk-ox  have  their  habitat,  to  bleak  and  dreary 
Sahara.  But  for  Sahara,  the  inhabitants  of  Europe 
might  now  be  little  better  than  the  Esquimaux,  bur- 
rowing in  the  ground  under  ice  huts,  living  on  blub- 
ber, and  dying  on  seal  skins.  Or  if  this  be  accounted 
an  extravagant  illustration,  it  can  hardly  be  doubted 
that  much  of  the  continent  whence  has  orginated  in 
the  historic  ages  the  noblest  civilization  and  the  most 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  407 

beneficent  institutions  would  not  have  been  in  the 
zone  in  which  about  all  the  great  and  good  triumphs 
of  the  human  intellect  have  been  achieved  from  the 
beginning.  Even  the  immortal  literature  and  art  of 
Greece  and  Rome  were  under  obligations  of  grati- 
tude to  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  and  they  are  the  ac- 
knowledged parents  of  the  best  literature  and  art  of 
of  modern  Europe. 

It  is  impossible  to  reflect  upon  this  remarkable  influ- 
ence of  the  Desert  of  Sahara — in  itself  producing  noth- 
ing, by  its  vast  extent  and  singular  formation  the  means 
of  incalculable  blessings  to  Europe  and  hence  to  all 
mankind — without  being  most  profoundly  impressed 
with  the  truth  that  in  the  disposition  of  affairs  by 
Him  who  created  all  things  there  is  no  waste ;  noth- 
ing which  may  not  be  turned  into  good  ;  no  curse 
which  may  not  be  turned  into  a  blessing. 


24 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

GEOLOGY  OF   AFRICA— ANTIQUITY  OF  MAN. 

The  General  Geological  Formation  of  the  Continent— The  Want  of  Compre- 
hensive Investigation— Singular  Facts  as  to  the  Desert  of  Sahara— The  Ques- 
tion of  the  Antiquity  of  Man— Is  Africa  the  Birth-place  of  the  Human  Race  ? 
Opinions  of  Scientists  Tending  to  Answer  in  the  Affirmative — Darwinism. 

It  is  to  be  greatly  regretted  that  no  comprehensive 
geological  sur  cys  of  Africa  have  ever  been  made ; 
because  there  are  certain  questions,  eventually  to  be 
settled  by  geology,  whose  determination,  it  appears 
to  be  agreed,  will  be  finally  resolved  by  investigations 
in  this  continent.  In  a  volume  of  this  nature,  de- 
signed for  the  general  reader,  those  facts  and  reason- 
ings only  need  be  referred  to  which  may  be  supposed 
to  have  the  most  interest.  Reference  has  already 
been  made  to  Sir  Roderick  Murchison's  exposition  of 
the  trough-shaped  form  of  South  Africa  in  his  dis- 
course before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  in  1852 
— an  exposition  which  was  so  remarkably  substantiated 
by  Dr.  Livingstone  in  his  journey  across  the  conti- 
nent from  Loanda  to  Kilimane.  Though  in  its  geo- 
graphical configuration  Africa  is  not  greatly  unlike 
South  America,  in  its  geological  structure  it  much 
more  resembles  the  northern  continent  of  the  west- 
ern hemisphere.  The  Appalachian  range  of  mount- 
ains extending  through  nearly  the  whole  of  the  east- 
ern portion  of  North  America,  parallel  with  the  coast, 

408 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  409 

and  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Sierra  Nevadas  in  the 
west,  bear  a  notable  resemblance  to  those  ranges  of 
mountains  in  Africa,  which,  rising  first  in  the  northern 
portions  of  Senegambia,  pursue  a  south-easterly,  then 
a  southerly  course  to  near  the  southern  limit  of  the 
continent,  when  they  sharply  bend  toward  the  north- 
east, and  with  many  lofty  peaks,  some  of  which  reach 
the  region  of  eternal  snow,  pass  through  Mozambique, 
Zanguebar,  and  end  not  until  after  they  have  passed 
through  Abyssinia  and  Nubia,  and  penetrated  the  lim- 
its of  Egypt.  In  Tripoli,  Tunis,  Algeria, and  Moroc- 
co, is  the  Atlas  range,  between  which  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  other  the  distance  is  hardly  so  great  as 
that  between  the  southern  limits  of  the  Appalachian 
range  and  the  mountains  of  Mexico.  The  course  of 
each  of  the  great  rivers  of  these  continents  is  also 
across  the  degrees  of  latitude  instead  of  generally 
parallel  with  the  equator,  as  is  the  case  with  the  great 
river  of  South  America.  There  is  a  similarity  also 
between  North  America  and  Africa  in  an  extensive 
system  of  inland  lakes  of  fresh  water  and  vast  extent. 
The  geological  structure  of  the  mountains  of  Afri- 
ca, especially  of  South  Africa,  appears  to  be  quite 
uniform.  They  have  a  neucleus  of  granite  which 
often  appears  at  the  surface  and  forms  the  predomina- 
ting rock,  but  in  the  greater  proportion  of  the  mount- 
ains, perhaps,  the  granite  is  overlain  by  vast  masses  of 
sandstone,  easily  distinguished  by  the  numerous  peb- 
bles of  quartz  which  are  embedded  in  it.  The  sum- 
mit, when  composed  of  granite,  is  usually  round  and 
smooth,  but  when  composed  of  the  quartzose  sand- 
stone is  often  perfectly  flat.     Of  this  Table   Mount, 


4IO  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

in  South  Africa,  is  a  notable  illustration.  The  thick- 
ness of  this  stratum  of  sandstone  is  sometimes  not 
less  than  2,000  feet.  Such  is  the  case  in  the  Karoo 
mountains  of  Cape  Colony.  When  thus  appearing, 
it  may  be  seen  forming  steep,  mural  faces,  resembling 
masonry,  or  exhibiting  a  series  of  salient  angles  and 
indentations  as  sharp,  regular,  and  well-defined  as  if 
they  had  been  chiselled.  With  the  granite  are  often 
associated  primitive  schists,  the  decomposition  of 
which  seems  to  have  furnished  the  chief  ingredients 
of  the  thin,  barren  clay  which  forms  the  characteris- 
tic covering  of  so  much  of  the  South  African  mount- 
ains. In  some  places,  more  recent  formations  appear, 
and  limestone  is  seen  piercing  the  surface.  The  geo- 
logical constitution  of  the  Atlas  Mountains,  in  north- 
western Africa,  presents  old  limestone  alternating 
with  a  schist,  often  passing  to  a  well-characterized 
micaceous  schist,  or  gneiss,  the  stratification  of  which 
is  exceedingly  irregular.  Volcanic  rocks  have  here 
been  found  in  small  quantities.  There  are  veins  of 
copper,  iron,  and  lead. 

In  Egypt  we  find  the  alluvial  soil  a  scarcely  less  in- 
teresting object  of  study  than  the  rocks  upon  which 
it  rests.  These  are  limestone,  sandstone,  and  granite, 
the  latter  of  which,  in  Upper  Egypt,  often  rises  1,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  Nile.  Not  many  years  ago 
were  discovered  about  100  miles  east  of  the  Nile,  and 
in  28  deg.  4  min.  of  north  latitude  the  splendid  ruins  of 
the  ancient  Alabastropolis,  which  once  derived  wealth 
from  its  quarries  of  alabaster.  Farther  south  are  the 
ancient  quarries  of  jasper,  porphyry,  and  verd  antique. 
The  emerald  mines  of  Zebarah  lay  near  the  Red  Sea 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  41  I 

The  Atlas  range  in  Algeria  is  better  known  than 
elsewhere.  It  is  as  described  above,  but  at  Calle,  there 
are  distinct  traces  of  ancient  volcanoes.  Iron,  cop- 
per, gypsum,  and  lead  are  found  in  considerable  quan- 
tities. Cinnabar  is  found  in  small  quantities.  Salt 
and  thermal  springs  abound  in  many  parts  of  Alge- 
ria, amethysts  in  Morocco,  slates  in  Senegambia,  and 
iron  in  Liberia,  Guinea,  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  and 
many  other  parts  of  Africa. 

Gold,  gold-dust,  and  iron  are  among  the  best  known 
of  the  mineral  riches  of  Africa,  and  are  the  most 
generally  diffused  throughout  the  continent.  In  the 
country  of  Bambouk,  in  Senegambia,  most  of  the 
gold  which  finds  its  way  to  the  west  coast  is  found. 
Here  the  mines  are  open  to  all,  and  are  worked  by 
natives  who  live  in  villages.  The  richest  gold  mine 
of  Bambouk,  and  the  richest,  it  is  believed,  yet  dis- 
covered in  Africa,  is  that  of  Natakoo — an  isolated 
hill,  some  300  feet  high  and  3,000  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, the  soil  of  which  contains  gold  in  the  shape  of 
lumps,  grains,  and  spangles,  every  cubic  foot  being 
loaded,  it  is  said,  with  the  precious  metal.  The  auri- 
ferous earth  is  first  met  with  about  four  feet  from  the 
surface,  becoming  more  abundant  with  increase  of 
depth.  In  searching  for  gold  the  natives  have  perfor- 
ated the  hill  in  all  directions  with  pits  some  six  feet 
in  diameter  and  forty  or  fifty  feet  deep.  At  a  depth 
of  twenty  feet  from  the  surface  lumps  of  pure  gold 
of  from  two  to  ten  grains  weight  are  found.  There 
are  other  mines  in  this  portion  of  Africa,  gold  hav- 
ing been  found  distributed  over  a  surface  of  1,200 
square  miles.     The  precious  metal  is  not  only  found 


412  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

in  hills,  the  most  of  which  are  composed  of  soft  argil- 
laceous earth,  but  in  the  beds  of  rivers  and  smaller 
streams,  so  that  the  lines  of  Bishop  Heber's  well- 
known  missionary  hymn  are  truthful  as  well  as 
poetical :  — 

"  Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains, 
Roll  down  their  golden  sands." 

The  gold  mines  of  Semayla,  which  are  some  forty 
or  fifty  miles  northward  of  those  of  Natakoo,  though 
nearly  as  rich  as  the  latter,  are  in  hills  of  rock  and 
sandstone,  which  substances  are  pounded  in  mortars 
that  the  gold  may  be  extracted.  Barth  judged  that 
gold  would  be  found  in  the  Benue  river,  the  principal 
eastern  tributary  of  the  Niger.  Gold,  silver,  iron 
lead,  and  sulphur  have  been  found  in  large  quantities, 
and  were  long  profitably  mined  in  the  mountainous 
districts  of  Angola.  In  Upper  Guinea  gold  and  iron 
are  deposited  in  granitic  or  schistose  rocks.  The  in- 
terior contains  vast  quantities  of  iron  which  might  be 
easily  mined,  but  the  natives  are  not  sufficiently  en- 
terprising to  accomplish  much  in  this  respect.  Gold 
is  also  obtained  in  the  beds  of  some  of  the  rivers  of 
Guinea.  In  Mozambique,  on  the  east  coast,  the 
Portuguese  have  for  a  great  length  of  time  had  a 
considerable  commerce  in  gold  obtained  from  mines 
near  the  Zambezi,  in  the  region  near  the  western 
limit  of  that  province.  It  has  already  been  stated 
that  here  Dr.  Livingstone  discovered  deposits  of 
coal.  Along  the  Orange  and  Vaal  rivers,  in  extreme 
South  Africa,  have  recently  been  discovered  diamond 
fields  which  some  noted  scientists  believe  will  yet 
prove  to  be  among  the  richest  in  the  world. 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  413 

Perhaps  the  portions  of  Africa  which  are  the  most 
interesting  on  account  of  geological  investigations 
which  have  been  made,  are  the  valley  of  the  Nile  in 
Egypt,  and  the  Desert  of  Sahara.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  river  Nile  annually  overflows  its  banks  in 
Egypt,  and  the  inundation  remaining  a  considerable 
period,  a  thin  layer  of  soil  is  each  year  added  to  that 
which  existed  there  before.  This  Nile  mud,  as  it  is 
called  by  geologists,  has  been  the  subject  of  consider- 
able scientific  examination  for  many  years.  In  his 
work  upon  the  "  Geological  Evidences  of  the  An- 
tiquity of  Man,"  Sir  Charles  Lyell  gives  a  full  ac- 
count of  certain  systematic  borings  in  the  Nile  mud 
which  were  made  between  the  years  185 1  and  1854, 
under  the  superintendency  of  Mr.  Leonard  Horner, 
but  who  employed  to  practically  conduct  the  ex- 
aminations an  intelligent,  enterprising,  and  faithful 
Armenian  officer  of  engineers,  Hekekyan  Bey,  who 
had  for  many  years  pursued  scientific  studies  in  Eng- 
land, was  in  every  way  qualified  for  the  task,  and, 
unlike  Europeans,  was  able  to  endure  the  climate 
during  the  hot  months,  when  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
flow  within  their  banks.  Sir  Charles  Lyell  states 
that  the  results  of  chief  importance  arising  out  of 
this  inquiry  were  obtained  from  two  sets  of  shafts 
and  borings — sunk  at  intervals  in  lines  crossing  the 
great  valley  from  east  to  west.  One  of  these  con- 
sisted of  fifty-one  pits  and  artesian  perforations, 
made  where  the  valley  is  sixteen  miles  wide  between 
the  Arabian  and  the  Libyan  deserts,  in  the  latitude 
of  Heliopolis,  about  eight  miles  above  ^the  apex  of 
the  delta.    The  other1  line  of  pits  and  borings,  twenty- 


414  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

seven  in  number,  was  in  the  parallel  of  Memphis 
where  the  valley  is  five  miles  wide.  Besides  Hekek- 
yan  Bey,several  engineers  and  some  sixty  workmen, 
inured  to  the  climate,  were  employed  for  several 
years,  during  the  dry  season,  in  the  furtherance  of 
these  interesting  investigations. 

It  was  found  that  in  all  the  works  the  sediment 
passed  through  was  similar  in  composition  to  the 
ordinary  Nile  mud  of  the  present  day,  except  near 
the  margin  of  the  valley,  where  thin  layers  of 
quartzose  sand,  such  as  is  sometimes  blown  from  the 
adjacent  desert  by  violent  winds,  were  observed  to 
alternate  with  the  loam.  A  remarkable  absence  of 
lamination  and  stratification,  the  geologist  goes  on 
to  say,  was  observed  almost  universally  in  the  sedi- 
ment brought  up  from  all  points  except  where  the 
sandy  layers  above  alluded  to  occurred,  the  mud 
closely  agreeing  in  character  with  the  ancient  loam 
of  the  Rhine.  Mr.  Horner  attributes  this  want  of  all 
indication  of  successive  deposition  to  the  extreme 
thinness  of  the  film  of  matter  which  is  thrown  down 
annually  on  the  great  alluvial  plain  during  the  season 
of  inundation.  The  tenuity  of  this  layer  must  in- 
deed be  extreme,  if  the  French  engineers  are  toler- 
ably correct  in  their  estimate  of  the  amount  of  sedi- 
ment formed  in  a  century,  which  they  suppose  not  to 
exceed  on  the  average  five  inches.  It  is  stated,  in 
other  words,  that  the  increase  is  not  more  than  the 
twentieth  part  of  an  inch  each  year,  or  one  foot  in 
the  period  of  240  years.  All  the  remains  of  organic 
bodies  found  during  these  investigations  under 
Hekekyan  Bey  belonged  to  living  species.     Bones  of 


FXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  415 

the  ox,  hog,  dog,  dromedary,  and  ass  were  not  un- 
common, but  no  vestiges  of  extinct  mammalia  were 
found,  and  no  marine  shells  were  anywhere  detected. 
These  excavations  were  on  a  large  scale,  in  some  in- 
stances for  the  first  sixteen  or  twenty-four  feet.  In 
these  pits,  jars,  vases,  and  a  small  human  figure  in 
burnt  clay,  a  copper  knife,  and  other  entire  articles 
were  dug  up ;  but  when  water  soaking  through  from 
the  Nile  was  reached,  the  boring  instrument  used 
was  too  small  to  allow  of  more  than  fragments  of 
works  of  art  being  brought  up.  Pieces  of  burnt  brick 
and  pottery  were  constantly  being  extracted,  and 
from  all  depths,  even  where  they  sank  sixty  feet  be- 
low the  surface  toward  the  central  parts  of  the  val- 
ley. In  none  of  these  cases  did  they  get  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  alluvial  soil.  If  it  be  assumed  that  the 
sediment  of  the  valley  has  increased  at  the  rate  of 
six  inches  a  century,  bricks  at  the  depth  of  sixty  feet 
have  been  buried  12,000  years.  If  the  increase  has 
been  five  inches  a  century,  they  have  lain  there  dur- 
ing a  period  of  14,400  years.  Lyell  states  further  on 
that  M.  Rosiere,  in  the  great  French  work  on  Egypt, 
has  estimated  the  rate  of  deposit  of  sediment  in  the 
delta  at  two  inches  and  three  lines  in  a  century.  A 
fragment  of  red  brick  has  been  excavated  a  short 
distance  from  the  apex  of  the  delta  at  a  depth  of 
seventy-two  feet.  At  a  rate  of  deposit  of  two  and  a- 
half  inches  a  century,  a  work  of  art  seventy-two  feet 
deep  must  have  been  buried  more  than  30,000  years 
ago.  Lyell  frankly  states,  however,  that  if  the  bor- 
ing was  made  where  an  arm  of  the  river  had  been 
silted  up  at  a  time  when  the  apex  of  the  delta  was 


4l6  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

somewhat  further  south,  or  more  distant  from  the 
sea  than  now,  the  brick  in  question  might  be  com- 
paratively very  modern.  It  is  agreed  by  the  best 
geologists  that  the  age  of  the  Nile  mud  cannot  be 
accurately,  but  only  approximately  calculated  by  the 
data  thus  far  furnished.  The  amount  of  matter 
thrown  down  by  the  waters  in  different  parts  of  the 
plain  varies  so  much  that  to  strike  an  average  with 
any  approach  to  accuracy  must  be  most  difficult. 
The  nearest  approach,  perhaps,  as  has  been  observed 
by  Baldwin,  to  obtaining  an  accurate  chronometric 
scale  for  ascertaining  the  age  of  the  deposits  of  the 
Nile  at  a  given  point,  was  made  near  Memphis,  at  the 
statue  'of  King  Rameses.  It  is  known  that  this 
statue  was  erected  about  the  year  1260  B.  C.  In 
1854  it  had  stood  there  3,1 14  years.  During  that  time 
the  alluvium  had  collected  to  the  depth  of  nine  feet 
and  four  inches  above  its  base,  which  was  at  the  rate 
of  about  three  and  a  half  inches  in  each  century. 
Mr.  Horner  found  the  alluvium,  below  the  base  of 
the  statue,  to  be  thirty  feet  deep,  and  pottery  was 
found  within  four  inches  of  the  bottom  of  the  allu- 
vium. If  the  rate  of  accumulation  previous  to  the 
building  of  the  statue  had  been  the  same  as  subse- 
quently, the  formation  of  the  alluvium  began,  at  that 
point,  about  11,660  years  before  the  Christian  era, 
and  men  lived  there  some  12,360  years  ago,  cultivat- 
ing the  then  thin  soil  of  the  valley.  But  it  would 
appear  to  be  certain  that  the  average  deposit  is  so 
slight  annually  that  many  centuries  more  than  those 
formerly  quite  universally  received  as  the  age  of  the 
world  for  the  stage  of  mankind's  achievements  must 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  417 

have  passed  since  the  work  of  man's  hands  have 
been  buried  under  these  vast  deposits  of' alluvium. 
Thus,  geology  insists,  is  the  fact  of  man's  existence, 
long  before  the  historic  era,  conclusively  established. 

The  Desert  of  Sahara  presents  some  interesting 
facts  of  the  same  nature.  It  has  already  been  stated 
that  this  part  of  Africa  was  ocean  within  a  compara- 
tively recent  geological  period.  Tristram  and  several 
French  officers  of  scientific  attainments,  who  have 
made  geological  examinations  of  large  portions  of  the 
desert  have  shown  that  the  northern  margin  is  lined 
with  ancient  sea-beaches  and  lines  of  terraces — the 
"rock-bound  coasts"  of  the  old  ocean.  Numerous 
salt-lakes  exist  in  the  desert  which  are  tenanted  by 
the  common  cockle.  A  species  of  Haligenes  which 
inhabits  the  Gulf  of  Guinea  is  found  in  a  salt  lake  in 
latitude  30  deg.  north  and  longitude  7  deg.  east,  sep- 
arated", therefore,  from  its  present  marine  habitat  by 
the  whole  extent  of  the  great  desert,  and  the  vast  ex- 
panse of  Soudan  and  Guinea.  Geologists  hence  con- 
clude that  the  existing  fauna,  including  man,  occupied 
Africa  long  before  the  Sahara  became  dry  land.  Ref- 
erence has  been  made  in  the  preceding  chapter  to  the 
supposed  remarkably  beneficent  effect  this  great  ex- 
panse of  desert,  heated  sands,  and  hot  air,  has  upon 
the  climate,  and  consequently  upon  the  civilization  of 
Europe. 

It  is  probable  that  from  the  fact  that  Sahara  was 
about  the  last  extensive  portion  of  earth  to  be  aban- 
doned by  the  ocean,  that  the  general  opinion  became 
prevalent  that  the  continent  of  Africa  was,  geologi- 
cally, the  most  recent  of  the  grand  divisions  of   the 


41 8  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

earth.  Though  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  in  civiliza- 
tion, it  has  been  supposed  to  be  the  youngest  in  geo- 
logical constitution.  I  am  informed  by  scientific  men 
that  on  account  of  recent  investigations  and  reason- 
ings, the  opinion  has  for  some  time  been  gaining 
ground  that  Africa  is  likely  to  be  shown  to  be  the 
oldest  part  of  the  globe  in  both  respects,  and  to  have 
been  the  original  birthplace  of  the  race  of  man. 

The  negroid  race,  comprehending  the  Negroes,  Hot- 
tentots, and  Algutos,  are,  it  is  claimed  by  many  scien- 
tists, the  most  ancient  of  all  the  types  of  mankind, 
and  since  their  appearance  on  earth  vast  geographi- 
cal changes  have  taken  place.  Continents  have  be- 
come ocean  and  sea  has  become  land.  "The  negroes," 
says  Lubbock,  "  are  essentially  a  non-navigating  race  ; 
they  build  no  ships,  and  even  the  canoes  of  the  Fee- 
jeeans  are  evidently  copied  from  those  of  the  Poly- 
nesians. Now  what  is  the  geographical  distribution 
of  the  race  ?  They  occupy  all  Africa  south  of  Saha- 
ra, which  neither  they  nor  the  rest  of  the  true  Afri- 
can fauna  have  ever  crossed.  And  though  they  do  not 
occur  in  Arabia,  Persia,  Hindoostan,  Siam,  or  China, 
we  find  them  in  Madagascar,  and  in  the  Andaman 
Islands ;  not  in  Java,  Sumatra,  or  Borneo,  but  in  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  in  the  Phillippine  Islands,  New 
Guinea,  the  New  Hebrides,  New  Caledonia,  the  Fee- 
jee  Islands,  and  in  Tasmania.  This  remarkable  dis- 
tribution is  perhaps  most  easily  explicable  on  the  hy- 
pothesis that  since  the  negroid  race  came  into  exist- 
ence there  must  have  been  an  immense  tract  of  land 
or  a  chain  of  islands  stretching  from  the  eastern  coast 
of  Africa  right  across  the  Indian  ocean  ;  and  secondly 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  419 

that  the  sea  then  occupied  the  area  of  the  present 
great  desert.  In  whatever  manner,  however,  these 
facts  are  to  be  explained,  they  certainly  indicate  that 
the  race  is  one  of  very  great  antiquity."  "  It  is  man- 
ifest/' says  Baldwin  in  his  Pre-Historic  Nations,  "that 
Africa  at  a  remote  period  was  the  theatre  of  great 
movements  and  mixtures  of  peoples  and  races,  and 
that  its  interior  countries  had  then  a  closer  connec- 
tion with  the  great  civilizations  of  the  world  than  at 
any  time  during  the  period  called  historical."  It  is 
the  opinion  of  this  writer  that  the  Cushite  race — the 
Ethiopians  of  Scripture — appeared  first  in  the  work 
of  civilization,  and  that  in  remote  antiquity  that  peo- 
ple exerted  a  mighty  and  wide-spread  influence  in 
human  affairs,  whose  traces  are  still  visible  from  far- 
ther India  to  Norway.  Nor  is  he  by  any  means 
alone  in  the  opinion  that  the  Carthagenians,  ages  ago, 
sent  their  ships  across  the  Atlantic  to  the  American 
continent.  The  Cushites,  or  original  Ethiopians  orig- 
inated in  Arabia,  but  their  descendents  are  still  found 
in  northern  Africa  from  Egypt  to  Morocco.  Of  this 
race  are  the  Tuariks,  the  robbers  of  the  Great  Desert, 
to  this  day  among  the  most  magnificent  specimens 
of  physcal  man  to  be  found  anywhere  on  the  globe. 

The  final  solution  of  these  problems  of  the  geo- 
logical status  of  Africa,  and  the  great  antiquity  of  man 
can  but  be  of  the  greatest  interest  to  all  thoughtful 
persons.  Unquestionably  their  solution  will  be  great- 
ly hastened,  should  Dr.  Livingstone  succeed  in  the 
great  enterprise  upon  which  he  is  now  engaged,  and 
soon  make  known  to  the  world  the  true  sources  of  the 
Nile.     His  success  therein  would  stimulate  endeavor, 


420  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

study,  exploration,  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  comprehen- 
sive and  systematic  surveys  of  a  continent  the  evi- 
dences of  whose  civilization  in  remote  ages  lie  buried 
among  the  debris  of  countless  centuries. 

We  know,  from  the  imperfect  investigations  which 
have  already  been  made,  that  cities  have  been  en- 
gulfed in  the  sands  of  Sahara.  We  know  that  vast 
changes  have  taken  place  in  the  physical  structure  oi 
the  continent  of  Africa  and  of  the  world  since  the 
negro  race  first  appeared.  It  is  not  improbable,  there- 
fore, that  where  for  so  many  ages  beasts  of  prey  and 
savage  tribes  have  occupied  a  land  oppressed  with 
heat  and  burdened  with  many  ills,  there  may  yet  be 
found  evidences  of  former  civilization  and  power  in 
greatest  possible  contrast  to  present  barbarism  and 
national  weakness.  And  who  shall  say  that  when  the 
face  of  the  continent  was  changed,  whether  by  a  great 
convulsion  or  by  a  gradual  process,  some  of  the  people 
did  not  migrate  northward,  cross  the  Mediterranean 
and  populate  the  continent  which  has  since  become  the 
abode  of  the  highest  civilization  and  the  greatest  in- 
tellectual culture  ?  Who  shall  say  that  these  races  of 
remote  antiquity  were  not  possessed  of  culture  and 
arts  and  literature  placing  them  very  high  in  the  scale 
of  civilization  ?  Within  the  historic  period  those  na- 
tions have  passed  away  which  were  the  acknowledged 
parents  of  modern  culture  and  art.  The  power  and 
versatility  of  the  human  mind,  reason,  eloquence, and 
poetry,  were  most  sublimely  illustrated  by  the  Greeks, 
whose  works  still  remain  to  benefit  and  instruct  man- 
kind. Yet  the  freedom  and  power  of  this  wonderful 
people  have  for  more  than  twenty  centuries  been  an- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  42 1 

nihilated.  The  people,  in  the  eloquent  diction  of  Mac- 
aulay,  have  degenerated  into  timid  slaves  ;  the  lan- 
guage into  a  barbarous  jargon ;  and  the  beautiful 
temples  of  Athens  "  have  been  given  up  to  the  suc- 
cessive depredations  of  Romans,  Turks,  and  Scotch- 
men." The  vast  empire  of  Rome  has  passed  entirely 
away  within  a  few  centuries.  She  had  herself  annihi- 
lated Carthage  leaving  nothing,  as  we  have  seen,  of 
the  arts,  literature,  or  institutions  of  a  people  whose 
ships  had  sailed  on  every  wave  from  the  Hellespont 
to  the  Baltic,  and,  not  improbably,  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean to  the  delta  of  the  Mississippi.  Other  great 
nations  are  also  known  to  have  passed  away  or  been 
destroyed,  the  nature  of  their  civilization  and  institu- 
tions being  left  to  conjecture  based  upon  a  few  mon- 
uments or  a  few  literary  remains  preserved  by  foreign 
writers.  It  being  once  established  that  man  existed 
ages  before  what  is  commonly  called  the  beginning  of 
the  historic  period  it  would  be  simply  logical,  consid- 
ering many  national  destructions  which  have  occurred 
during  the  historic  period,  to  conclude  by  analogy 
that  races  of  remote  antiquity  flourished  and  passed 
away  leaving  no  sign,  which  has  been  yet  discovered, 
of  their  power  and  civilization.  It  is  evident  the  his- 
torian Macaulay  thinks  it  not  improbable  such  maybe 
the  fate  of  England,  and  he  expressly  states  in  a  well- 
known  passage  that  the  time  may  come  when  only  a 
single  naked  fisherman  may  be  seen  in  the  river  of 
the  ten  thousand  masts.  It  is  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible, for  mankind  entirely  to  overcome  the  tendency 
to  decay. 

We  shall  presently  see  that  Africa  is  a  field  upon 


422  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

which  must  soon  be  decided  a  great  issue  of  politico- 
social  importance  ;  an  issue  which  involves  the  abo- 
lition of  polygamy,  domestic  slavery,  and  the  sup- 
pression of  the  foreign  slave  trade.  From  what  has 
gone  before  in  this  volume,  it  will  have  been  seen 
that  here,  too,  are  likely  to  be  most  conclusively 
demonstrated  the  vast  age  of  the  world,  the  great  an- 
tiquity of  man,  and  the  nature  of  his  origin.  In  com- 
parison of  the  settlement  of  this  issue  and  the  so- 
lution of  these  problems  of  science,  even  the  dis- 
covery of  the  true  sources  of  the  Nile  may  be  re- 
garded as  unimportant,  except  for  the  reason  that 
Dr.  Livingstone's  great  achievement  will  arouse  other 
men  of  science  to  similar  sacrifices,  labors,  and  forti- 
tude. Thus  Africa  is  found  to  present  another  re- 
markable contrast  for  our  contemplation  ;  for  while 
civilization  is  there  at  a  lower  ebb  than  in  any  other 
grand  division  of  the  globe,  the  highest  intellectual 
efforts  of  the  most  astute  thinkers  of  the  times  are 
turning  their  best  efforts  thitherward,  in  the  con- 
fident hope  of  greatly  enlarging  the  sphere  of  human 
knowledge,  and  of  extending  the  triumphs  of  science 
and  civilization. 

There  are  many,  it  is  true,  who  imagine  that  the 
scientific  inquiries  which  are  being  made  in  regard  to 
the  great  age  of  the  world,  the  races  which  existed 
long  anterior  to  the  historic  period,  and  the  origin  of 
the  human  species  are  founded  in  a  spirit  of  skepti- 
cism and  hostility  to  Christian  civilization,  or,  rather, 
to  Christianity  as  a  religion.  Doubtless  there  are 
many  scientists  who  put  no  faith  in  Holy  Writ,  as  much 
of  it  has  been  commonly  understood.  Others,  and 
25 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  423 

those  among  the  most  distinguished  of  men,  are  no 
less  devout  believers  in  Christianity  than  they  are 
firm  believers  in  the  great  age  of  the  world  and  an- 
tiquity of  man.  The  devotees  of  Christianity  have 
in  not  a  few  instances  mistaken  an  ally  for  an  enemy 
This  was  notably  the  fact,  in  an  example  which  is 
here  most  appropriate,  in  the  case  of  the  modern 
origin  of  the  science  of  astronomy.  The  Christian 
church,  as  then  existing,  pronounced  as  religious 
heresy  the  plain  truth  that  the  world  moves,  and  that 
the  sun  neither  rises  nor  sets,  but  is  stationary — the 
sublime  centre  of  a  universe  of  planets  and  starsf 
and,  perhaps,  inhabited  worlds,  whose  movements 
must  be  controlled,  as  the  vast  system  must  have  been 
originated,  by  One  of  infinite  wisdom  and  power  and 
goodness.  In  due  course  of  time  it  was  discovered 
that  astronomy  did  not  militate  against  Christianity, 
and  the  church  not  only  ceased  putting  astronomers 
in  prison,  but  learned  that  the  acceptance  of  all  truth, 
come  from  whatever  source  it  may,  is  a  Christian 
duty.  And  many  of  the  most  distinguished  astron- 
omers have  been  no  less  earnest  exemplars  of  the 
Christian  system  of  religion  than  any  monk  who  ever 
wore  the  pavements  of  a  monastery  and  left  the 
world  no  wiser  or  better  than  he  found  it. 

As  it  was  with  astronomy,  so  it  has  been  even  of 
late  years  with  the  science  of  geology.  The  era  of 
imprisonment  for  heresy  had  indeed  passed  by  when 
men  began  to  construct  a  comprehensive  science  on 
the  study  of  rocks  ;  but  as  their  revelations  became 
more  extensive  and  more  wonderful,  it  again  appeared 
to  many  that  here  had  arisen  a  formidable  foe  of  Christ- 


424  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ianity,  and  the  new  science  was  assailed  accordingly. 
It  has  not  turned  out  that  these  disputants  were  as 
wise  as  they  were  zealous  and  as  they  were  undoubt- 
edly sincere.  Though  the  sun  never  rises  and  never 
sets,  we  should  be  stupid  indeed  were  we  always, 
when  speaking  of  his  appearance  on  our  horizon,  or 
his  disappearance  therefrom,  to  state  the  fact  in 
words  of  scientific  accuracy.  The  world  has  never 
yet  been  slow  enough  justly  to  permit  such  waste  of 
time  and  words.  Not  only  the  almanac-makers,  but 
the  most  celebrated  astronomers  persist  in  saying  that 
the  sun  rises  and  the  sun  sets.  And,  properly  under- 
stood, it  is  perfectly  true  though  scientifically  false. 
To  all  appearance  and  for  all  practical  purposes  to 
the  inhabitants  of  earth  the  sun  does  rise  and  set, 
and  when  one  so  says,  whether  inspired  or  uninspired, 
one  simply  conveys  the  idea  that  he  intends  to  con- 
vey, and  this  is  the  province  of  language.  As  astron- 
omy appeared  to  be  utterly  opposed  by  certain  ex- 
pressions in  Scripture,  but  was  found  not  to  be,  upon 
more  liberal  construction  of  the  language,  as  well  as 
more  philosophical,  so  geology  appeared  to  be,  in  its 
apparent  demonstration  of  the  vast  age  of  the  world, 
and,  later,  of  the  great  antiquity  of  man,  hostile  to  the 
received  canons  of  the  church,  and  especially  subvers- 
ive of  the  Mosaic  account  of  creation  and  the  generally 
received  system  of  chronology.  The  conflicts  thus  aris- 
ing have  dissipated  many  erroneous  theological  con- 
structions and  dogmas,  but  they  have  in  no  manner 
affected  the  foundations  of  Christianity.  There  are 
many  eminent  geologists  who  are  earnest  Christians, 
and  though  Dr.  Livingstone  himself  has  done  geology 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.        x  425 

incalculable  service  he  has  done  Christianity  incalcula- 
bly more.  It  may  well  be  doubted  whether  any  sin- 
gle theologian  of  the  age  has  conferred  more  valua- 
ble service  upon  Christianity  than  Hugh  Miller,  the 
great  geologist  of  Scotland,  whose  scientific  works 
are,  perhaps,  the  most  fascinating  of  any  in  the  Eng- 
lish language. 

There  can  be,  then,  no  well-grounded  fear  of  sci- 
ence overturning  Christianity.  It  is  more  likely 
thereby  to  be  in  the  end  not  only  more  thoroughly 
and  correctly  understood,  but  more  firmly  established 
and  more  generally  adopted.  Even  the  inquiry  which 
is  now  receiving  so  much  attention  from  men  of 
thought — that  into  the  origin  of  man — need  not  be 
deemed  as  fraught  with  any  real  danger  to  the  sys- 
tem which  has  given  the  world  its  present  civilization. 
Were  it  possible  to  establish  Mr.  Darwin's  theory  of 
evolution — and  that  it  is  more  than  a  theory  cannot 
be  claimed  for  it  by  its  most  devoted  advocate — and 
establish  man's  origin  in  the  ape,  still  would  the  act 
of  his  creation  into  man  from  ape  be  an  act  of  infinite 
power  and  goodness.  For  the  infinite  power  and 
goodness  of  the  act  consist  in  the  creation,  by  some 
means,  of  a  being  of  intellectual  and  moral  attributes. 
The  act  of  divine  power  is  in  breathing  into  the  nos- 
trils the  breath  of  life,  and  causing  the  being  to  be- 
come a  living  soul.  Even  Mr.  Darwin  will  not  dis- 
pute that  the  ape  was  in  the  long  ages  evolved  from 
dust,  nor  that,  so  far  as  science  has  shown  or  probably 
ever  can  show,  there  is  no  being  in  the  universe  with 
capacity  to  evolve  thought  except  only  God,  as  shown 
in  His  manifold  works,  and  man. 


426  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Whatever  may  be  the  result,  therefore,  of  the  inter- 
esting inquiries  in  commerce,  religion,  geography, 
geology,  ethnology  which  now  are  being  more  and 
more  directed  toward  Africa  with  each  passing  year, 
we  may  quite  safely  conclude,  judging  from  the  re- 
sults of  the  past,  that  Christianity  will  come  forth  out 
of  the  conflicts  that  may  arise,  whether  they  be  sci- 
entific or  of  other  nature,  with  renewed  beauty  and 
power;  with  more  liberal  and  enlightened  views, 
doubtless,  upon  some  questions  which  have  been 
erroneously  considered,  but  with  greater  influence  on 
this  account,  and  with  brighter  prospects  of  more 
speedily  than  might  have  been  but  for  these  conflicts 
extending  the  rule  of  her  pure  and  beneficent  mor- 
ality among  all  the  nations  and  tribes  of  men. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

The  Result  in  Behali  of  Science,  Religion,  and  Humanity  of  the  Explorations 
and  Missionary  Labors  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Others  in  Africa — Review 
of  Recent  Discoveries  in  Respect  to  the  People  and  the  Physical  Nature 
of  the  African  Continent — The  Diamond  Fields  of  South  Africa — Bird's-Eye 
View  of  that  Division  of  the  World — Its  Capabilities  and  Its  Wants — 
Christianity  and  Modern  Journalism  Dissipating  Old  Barbarisms,  and 
Leading  the  Way  to  Triumphs  of  Civilization. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  result  present 
and  sure  to  come,  in  behalf  of  science,  religion,  and 
humanity,  of  the  explorations  and  missionary  labors 
of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  others  in  Africa  during  a 
period  which  embraces  but  little  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  The  manner  in  which  Livingstone 
conducted  his  missionary  labors  has  already  been 
pointed  out,  but  more  with  reference  to  their  connec- 
tion with  peoples  outside  of  Africa :  with  men  of  let- 
ters, of  science,  and  of  trade  in  the  civilized  world: 
than  with  reference  to  the  natives  themselves.  Nev- 
ertheless, it  is  a  fact  that  the  Christian  religion  has 
nowhere  in  Africa  been  anything  like  so  generally 
adopted,  practiced,  and  honored  by  the  natives  as  in 
the  country  of  the  Bakwains.  And  it  was  among  the 
Bakwains  that  Dr.  Livingstone  performed  his  princi- 
pal missionary  work.  Among  that  people  only  did 
he  establish  a  permanent  missionary  station.  There 
he  had  his  home  in  Africa  ;  there  his  children  were 

427 


428  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

born.  Unquestionably  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Moffat,  Dr.  Livingstone's  father-in-law,  were  of  the 
highest  importance  in  some  respects.  The  scene  of 
his  studies  was  at  Kuruman,  several  hundred  miles 
to  the  southward  of  Kolobeng  where  Livingstone 
was  stationed.  He  translated  the  Scriptures  into  the 
Bechuana  language,  travelled  and  preached  over  a 
wide  domain  in  South  Africa,  and  accomplished  vast 
good.  But  it  was  Livingstone  who  infused  into  the 
spirit  of  Christian  propagandism  practical  wisdom 
and  the  argument  of  present  as  well  as  future  good. 
He  is  the  Franklin  of  missionaries,  having  wonderful 
power  in  showing  pagans  that,  even  so  far  as  their 
temporal  affairs  and  material  prosperity  are  concerned, 
the  religion  of  Him  of  Nazareth  is  the  best  policy. 
Much  has  been  accomplished  at  the  "  Gaboon  Mis- 
sion" as  it  has  been  called,  on  the  east,  coast,  but  it 
may  be  said  that  the  principal  good  is  in  the  mitiga- 
tion of  the  woes  of  the  slave  trade,  which  here,  with 
the  aid  of  nations  which  keep  cruisers  off  the  coast, 
has  received,  perhaps,  a  mortal  wound.  Neverthe- 
less, the  tribes  of  this  coast  are  exceedingly  depraved, 
drunken,  and  ignorant.  They  are  universally  idola- 
trous and  given  to  disgusting  superstitions  and  habits. 
Scarcely  more  than  a  hundred  miles  in  the  interior 
are  tribes  of  cannibals,  which  are  doubtless  succeeded 
by  others  practicing  the  horrid  orgies  of  man-eating 
across  the  continent  to  Tanganyika  Lake.  But  with 
the  great  decrease  in  the  slave  trade  has  sprung  up 
among  all  these  people  a  wish  to  engage  in  legiti- 
mate commerce.  With  half  the  ideas  of  Christain 
civilization  which  have  been    instilled  into  the  Bak- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  429 

wains  of  South  Africa,  these  unhappy  people  would 
soon  find  ways  and  means  to  conduct  a  large  trade  in 
ebony,  India-rubber,  ivory,  and  other  products  of  their 
country  so  much  prized  by  commerce.  Those  who 
live  on  the  coast  have  become  somewhat  skilful  and 
daring  in  navigation,  their  little  vessels,  made  of 
great  trees  hollowed  out  and  pointed,  making  con- 
siderable coastwise  voyages.  Upon  the  arrival  of  a 
vessel  on  the  coast,  great  numbers  of  these  canoes, 
filled  with  natives,  are  constantly  moving  about  from 
ship  to  shore,  too  often  carrying  off  the  miserable 
beings  from  the  baracoons.  This  terrible  traffic 
completely  done  with,  they  must  perforce  seek  other 
means  of  trade ;  and  these  their  country  happily 
affords  in  great  abundance. 

The  Makololo  of  central  South  Africa,  so  often 
mentioned  in  this  volume,  were  greatly  improved  by 
the  restless  genius  of  the  warrior-statesman  Sebituane, 
whose  remarkable  career  has  been  delineated  in  these 
pages.  These  people,  possessing  a  country  of  great 
beauty  and  fertility  along  the  valley  of  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  rivers  of  the  world  ;  possessing  also 
vast  herds  of  cattle  and  many  villages  and  towns; 
and  endued  by  nature  with  tractable  dispositions  and 
ambitious  spirit,  continue  greatly  to  profit  by  the 
teachings  and  example  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  Related 
to  the  Bakwains  and  with  them  speaking  the  Bechu- 
ana  language,  Christian  ideas  are  rapidly  gaining  ad- 
herents, so  that  it  is  but  reasonable  to  expect  that  ere 
long,  that  vast  extent  of  country  from  Cape  Colony 
to  Londa,  between  the  eastern  and  western  coast 
"shells"  of  South  Africa  will  have  come  under  the  be- 


430  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

nignant  and  progressive  influences  of  Christian  civ- 
ilization. 

The  value  of  the  results  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  explo- 
rations to  science  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  Ge- 
ography, geology,  botany,  natural  history,  ornithol- 
ogy, have  all  recived  new  facts  of  value  by  his  labors, 
while  the  latest  intelligence  from  him  clearly  pdints 
to  his  speedy  success,  should  his  life  be  spared,  in  the 
solution  of  that  problem  in  geography  which  for 
many  years  has  elicited  the  studies  of  the  learned 
and  the  adventures  of  the  adventurous. 

But  Dr.  Livingstone  has  not  been  alone  in  giving 
the  world  intelligence  of  the  long  unknown  continent. 
In  the  interest  of  commerce,  England  sent  an  expe- 
dition to  central  Africa  in  1850  under  Captain  Rich- 
ardson, with  whom  were  associated  Dr.  Overweg  and 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Barth,  upon  the  latter  of  whom  the 
work  of  the  mission  devolved  on  account  of  the  death 
of  both  of  his  colleagues.  The  result  was  published 
in  a  most  elaborate  work  of  which  mention  has  been 
made  in  the  early  pages  of  this  volume.  Dr.  Barth  trav- 
ersed the  African  Sahara  from  north  to  south  and 
again  from  south  to  north,  near  the  middle,  passing 
through  Murzuk,  the  capital  of  Fezzan,  Ghat,  Tintel- 
lust,  the  capital  of  Asben,  Agades,  and  Katsena, 
whence  on  the  journey  out  Dr.  Barth  proceeded  to 
Kano,  Messrs.  Richardson  and  Overweg  going  to 
Lake  Tsad.  Dr.  Barth  remained  in  Africa  about  five 
years,  exploring  the  country  from  east  of  Lake  Tsad 
to  Timbuctoo.  All  this  vast  country  is  inhabited  by 
a  remarkable  people,  or  a  variety  of  remarkable  peo- 
ples, who  are  good  horsemen,  sustaining  large  armies, 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  43 l 

chiefly  of  cavalry,  adroit  robbers,  cruel,  vindictive, 
having  the  worst  form  of  domestic  slavery,  but  who 
number  many  millions  of  souls ;  cultivate  vast  tracts 
of  land,  raising  corn,  rice,  millet,  tobacco,  cotton,  and 
other  products;  have  many  extensive  towns  and 
walled  cities ;  carry  on  great  operations  in  manufac- 
tures, trade,  and  mining;  and  are  almost  constantly 
at  war :  for  the  different  states  are  independent  oi 
each  other,  each  empire  governed  by  its  own  sheik,  the 
lesser  sovereignties  by  sultans.  The  common  religion 
of  the  people  is  that  of  Mahomet,  but  there  are  rem- 
nants of  pagan  tribes,  some  of  which  are  even  yet  in- 
dependent, and  wage  deadly  war  with  their  cruel  op- 
pressors. The  country  is  well  watered,  and  may  be 
generally  described  as  a  vast  plain,  diversified  only  at 
wide  distances  by  insulated  mountains  of  no  great 
height.  In  this  expanse,  the  general  name  of  which 
is  Soudan,  or  Soodan  (Berr  es-Soodan,  "  Land  of  the 
Blacks"),  the  most  celebrated  city,  perhaps,  is  Tim- 
buctoo,  which,  from  remote  antiquity,  has  been  the 
meeting-place  of  many  caravans  and  converging  lines 
of  traffic.  Sokato,  or  Sukatu,  was  formerly  a  city  of 
50,000  inhabitants,  but  has  of  late  years  decreased  in 
importance.  It  is  noted  for  its  excellent  manufactures 
of  leather  and  iron,  and  its  general  markets,  which 
always  bring  together  great  numbers  of  people  and  a 
wonderful  variety  of  articles  for  sale.  Kano,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  province  of  Houssa,  has  a  population  of 
forty  thousand  souls.  The  city  is  surrounded  by  a 
wall  of  clay,  thirty  feet  high,  and  more  than  fifteen 
miles  in  extent.  Mucl)  of  the  enclosed  space  is  occu- 
piecL  by  gardens  and  cultivated   fields.  .  The  cotton 


432  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

cloth  woven  and  dyed  at  Kano  is  the  chief  article  of 
commerce.  The  fine  cotton  fabrics  of  the  Timbuctoo 
market  are  really  manufactured  at  Kano.  Dyed 
sheep-skins,  sandals,  ivory,  the  kola  nut  are  largely 
exported.  Kuka,  the  capital  of  Bornu,  is  near  Lake 
Tsad,butisa  small  city  of  inconsiderable  importance. 
Yola,  the  capital  of  Adamwa,  is  larger  than  Kuka. 
It  was  in  this  province  that  Dr.  Barth  discovered  the 
Benue  river,  a  navigable  stream  and  the  principal  afflu- 
ent from  the  east  of  the  Niger.  There  are  many 
cities  in  this  portion  of  Africa  of  far  more  importance 
than  the  capitals  of  Bornu  and  Adamwa.  Polygamy 
is  universally  practiced,  and  there  are  probably  more 
slaves  than  freemen  throughout  all  the  vast  expanse 
between  the  equator  and  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  and 
Senegambia  and  Abyssinia. 

In  1856,  Captain  Burton,  whose  "  Pilgrimage  to  El 
Medinah  and  Mecca"  (which  he  made  in  the  disguise 
of  a  dervish)  had  just  made  a  sensation  in  the  read- 
ing world,  explored,  with  the  lamented  Speke,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  East  Africa.  The  explorations 
of  Grant  and  Speke  in  this  portion  of  the  continent 
were  also  of  the  greatest  value.  Thus  was  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  expanse  lying  between  Lake  Nyassa, 
Tanganyika  Lake,  Victoria  Nyanza  and  the  Indian 
ocean  made  known  to  the  world.  The  explorations 
of  Sir  Samuel  Baker  and  others  in  search  of  the 
sources  of  the  Nile  are  familiar  to  the  intelligent 
public.  At  this  moment  there  are  at  least  two  expe- 
ditions engaged  in  attempting  to  solve  this  interest- 
ing geographical  problem,  one,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  other  under  that  of  the 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  433 

Khedive  of  Egypt.  With  this  latter  is  a  representa- 
tive of  the  same  American  journal  whose  Search 
Expedition  under  Mr.  Stanley  discovered  the  great 
discoverer  on  the  shores  of  Tanganyika. 

The  most  interesting  and  valuable  series  of  explor- 
ations from  the  west  coast  of  Africa  which  have  been 
made  of  late  years  were  those  by  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu, 
an  American  traveller  and  student  whose  work  has 
been  freely  quoted  from  in  this  volume.  His  explor- 
ations embraced  some  three  degrees  of  latitude  and 
six  of  longitude  near  the  equator.  He  penetrated  far 
into  the  country  of  the  gorilla  and  the  cannibal,  and 
his  researches  in  respect  of  the  people,  animals,  veg- 
etation, and  birds  of  this  part  of  the  continent  are 
confessedly  of  great  value  to  .science. 

Thus,  if  we  consider  the  known  portions  of  Africa 
at  the  time  Dr.  Livingstone  began  his  first  expedition 
of  discovery,  and  compare  them  with  the  known  por- 
tions of  Africa  at  the  time  of  the  finding  of  Living- 
stone by  the  "  Herald"  expedition,  we  shall  see  that 
nearly  all  South  Africa  and  much  of  East  Africa  has 
been  explored  by  Livingstone  himself;  that  Baker, 
Burton,  Speke,  Grant  have  added  much  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  supposed  regions  of  the  upper  Nile  and 
the  "lake  country"  of  East  Africa;  that  Richardson 
and  Barth  have  informed  us  of  the  true  nature  of  the 
Desert  of  Sahara,  the  latter  adding  a  vast  fund  of  in- 
formation in  respect  to  north-central  Africa;  that 
Du  Chaillu's  explorations  and  direct  information 
almost  impinge  upon  the  vast  area,  both  upon  the 
east  and  the  south,  explored  by  Dr.  Livingstone. 
The  unexplored  regions  of  Africa,  therefore,  are  now 


434  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

small  in  comparison  of  the  regions  explored  and  in 
regard  to  which  trustworthy  information  has  been 
gathered.  Whereas,  when  Dr.  Livingstone  went  to  Af- 
rica, only  the  outer  portions  of  the  continent  had  been 
examined,  the  regions  now  unknown  are  a  wide  belt 
eastward  of  Lake  Tsad ;  a  considerable  expanse  south 
of  Abyssinia;  portions  of  the  Desert  of  Sahara,  and  of 
Kalahari ;  and  that  expanse  in  equatorial  Africa  be- 
tween the  recent  explorations  of  Livingstone  among 
the  supposed  sources  of  the  Nile  and  the  eastern 
limit  of  Du  Chaillu  s  journeys.  It  is  true  that  these 
still  unexplored  regions  embrace  the  most  interest- 
ing portion  of  tho  continent  and  extend  over  an  area 
several  times  larger  than  that  of  France,  but  in  com- 
parison of  the  portions,  of  this  great  division  of  the 
earth  which  have  now  come  under  the  view  and  the 
study  of  civilized  man,  they  are  but  like  a  little  cloud 
in  a  clear  sky. 

Within  the  long  explored  regions  of  South  Africa 
a  most  important  discovery  in  respect  to  commerce 
has  recently  been  made.  Reference  can  be  had,  of 
course,  only  to  the  discovery  of  the  diamond  fields  of 
the  Orange  and  Vaal  rivers,  some  seven  or  eight  hun- 
dred miles,  by  a  traversable  route,  northeastward  of 
Cape  Town,  but  considerably  nearer  either  Port  Eliz- 
abeth in  Cape  Colony,  or  Port  Natal  on  the  east 
coast.  Some  twenty  years  ago,  England  abandoned 
the  tract  of  country  now  known  as  the  Orange  River 
Free  State,  and  it  was  occupied  by  emigrant  Boers, 
some  of  whom  also  proceeded  still  farther  north  and 
established  the  Trans-Vaal  Republic — a  region  over 
which  Great  Britain  never  had  dominion.     The  Boers 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  435 

are  generally  supposed  to  be  descendants  of  the  Dutch 
colonists,  but  by  some  they  are  believed  to  be  de 
scended  of  certain  warlike  North  Germans,  whom  the 
Dutch  employed  to  guard  their  distant  settlements, 
giving  them  lavish  grants  of  lands  in  return  for  their 
services.  This  latter  opinion  would  seem  to  be  sub- 
stantiated by  the  fierce  and  warlike  nature  of  the 
present  race  of  Boers.  The  diamond  fields  com- 
mence near  the  junction  of  the  Orange  and  Vaal 
rivers,  and  extend  indefinitely  up  both  those  streams. 
The  diamond  region  is  described  as  "  a  desert  country 
of  bare  rock  and  sand,  far  from  the  upland  pastoral 
districts"  where  the  Boers  successfully  conduct  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  fields  are  reached  by  a  jour- 
ney of  some  eight  hundred  miles  from  Cape  Town. 
The  distance  from  Port  Elizabeth  is  about  five  hun- 
dred miles ;  that  from  Port  Natal  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty.  By  the  Port  Elizabeth  route,  the  traveller 
passes  over  the  Zumberg  mountains,  and  over  the 
Drakensberg  range,  should  he  start  from  Port  Natal. 
By  either  route,  the  scenery  is  described  as  magnifi- 
cent and  calculated  to  put  the  traveller  at  once  in  love 
with  the  country.  But  the  region  between  Port  Na- 
tal and  the  diamond  fields  is  more  wild  and  desolate 
than  that  on  either  of  the  other  routes,  and  great  suf- 
fering is  often  experienced  by  the  way. 

The  first  South  African  diamond  is  said  to  have 
been  found  in  March,  1867.  The  fortunate  person 
was  a  Dutch  farmer  named  Schalk  Van  Niekerk,  who 
was  struck  with  the  appearance  of  a  stone  with  which 
some  children  were  playing.     It   turned  out  to  be  a 

genuine  diamond,  and  was  purchased  by  Sir  Philip 

26 


436  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Wodehouse,  then  governor  of  the  Colony,  for  $2,500. 
In  a  short  time  the  governor  purchased  several  othei 
fine  and  valuable  stones.  In  May,  1869,  the  magnifi- 
cent diamond  "  Star  of  South  Africa"  was  discovered 
by  a  man  named  Swatbooy,  near  Sandfontein,  on  the 
Orange  river.  This  was  a  diamond  of  eighty-three 
and  a-half  carats  and  was  purchased  for  $56,500.  Be- 
ing cut,  it  produced  a  fine  gem  of  forty-six  and  a-half 
carats,  valued  at  $100,000.  The  finder  of  this  dia- 
mond sold  it  for  500  head  of  sheep,  10  head  of  cattle, 
and  a  horse.  In  a  single  year  since  their  discovery 
these  fields  have  yielded  more  than  five  stones  above 
forty  carats.  Professor  Tennant  thinks  we  shall  have 
diamonds  from  South  Africa  exceeding  the  famous 
Koh-i-noor  in  size  and  equaling  it  in  beauty  when 
cut  and  polished.  The  Sultan  of  Matan,  of  the 
island  of  Borneo,  has  a  diamond  of  the  first  water, 
weighing  367  carats,  and  worth  at  least  $3,500,000. 
The  Orloff  diamond,  belonging  to  the  Czar  of  Russia, 
weighs  195  carats,  but  is  worth  only  about  $500,000 
on  account  of  being  a  little  off  color.  It  is  not  too 
credulous  to  believe  that  the  diamond  fields  of  South 
Africa  may  produce  stones  equal  to  these,  and  which 
will  throw  the  fabulous  "  Moonstone,"  about  which 
Wilkie  Collins  has  written  one  of  his  most  fascinating 
stories,  completely  in  the  shade. 

These  diamond  fields  have  already  been  visited  by 
great  numbers  of  explorers,  many  of  whom  have  been 
exceedingly  lucky,  while  others  had  better  remained 
at  home.  Astonishingly  few  scenes  of  lawlessness 
and  violence  have  been  witnessed,  a  fact  which  is 
owing  to  the  peaceful  nature  of  the  Africans  who  do 
24 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  437 

the  most  of  the  digging.  The  result  of  the  discovery 
of  this  extraordinary  diamond  region  was  greatly  to 
lower  the  price  of  rough  diamonds  for  a  season.  It 
is  not  believed  that  the  price  will  be  permanently 
affected.  Only  about  one  tenth  of  the  African  dia- 
monds are  of  the  first  water.  The  ordinary  trade  in 
diamonds  had  been  about  $800,000  a  month — $400,- 
000  from  the  mines  of  South  America  and  India, 
and  $400,000  from  private  parties.  The  increase 
from  the  South  African  fields  has  not  yet  been 
$100,000  a  month,  or  anything  like  it  on  the  average. 
The  introduction  of  machinery  and  of  capital  to  direct 
and  control  the  workings,  will  doubtless  add  largely 
to  the  yield  of  these  precious  stones.  Rubies  are 
also  found  here  in  large  numbers,  but  they  are  gen- 
erally small.  The  probability  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  also  is  very  great. 

Reflecting  upon  all  these  recent  explorations  and 
discoveries  in  Africa,  how  different  would  be  a  bird's 
eye  view  of  that  continent  now  from  what  it  was 
when  Dr.  Livingstone  first  went  ashore  at  Cape 
Town !  The  extreme  southern  portion  of  the  conti- 
nent is  under  the  dominion  of  Great  Britain.  On 
the  east  and  northeast  are  Natal  and  the  Boer  re- 
publics of  Orange  River  and  Trans-Vaal.  Here,  of 
course,  we  find  a  people  not  unlike  the  peasantry  of 
Europe,  with  towns  and  cities  and  farms  and  manu- 
factures and  commerce.  The  political  institutions 
are  liberal,  and  popular  education  supported  by  the 
state,  is  becoming  general.  The  original  inhabitants 
of  this  region  were  the  Hottentots,  a  race  bearing  more 


4.38  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

resemblance  to  the  Mongols  than  to  the  negroes, 
having  broad  foreheads,  high  cheek  bones,  oblique 
eyes,  thin  beards,  and  a  yellow  complexion.  They 
are  of  a  docile  disposition,  and  quick  intellectual 
perception.  They  were  possessed  of  vast  herds  of 
cattle  and  large  flocks  of  sheep,  but  were  enslaved 
by  the  Dutch.  Emancipated  in  1833  by  England, 
they  are  still  found  all  over  this  region — still  enslaved 
by  the  Boers  in  their  so-called  republics-^and  in 
small  bodies  here  and  there  to  a  great  distance  in  the 
interior.  The  Caffres,  who  inhabit  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  South  Africa  north  of  the  British  possessions, 
and  form  a  large  proportion  of  the  population  of  the 
northern  part  of  Cape  Colony,  are  described  by  Liv- 
ingstone as  "  tall,  muscular,  and  well  made ;  they  are 
shrewd,  energetic,  and  brave ;  altogether  they  merit 
the  character  given  them  by  military  authorities  of 
being  magnificent  savages !  Their  splendid  physical 
development  and  form  of  skull  show  that,  but  for  the 
black  skin  and  woolly  hair,  they  would  take  rank 
among  the  foremost  Europeans."  Near  the  east 
coast  of  Africa  the  Caffres  are  brown  or  copper-col- 
ored. Their  government  is  patriarchal,  a  petty  chief 
presiding  over  each  kraal  or  village,  who  is  tributary 
to  a  higher  chief,  and  these  higher  chiefs  owe  allegi- 
ance to  the  great  chief,  with  whom  they  form  the 
National  Council.  They  live  by  hunting  and  raising 
cattle.  Their  women  attend  to  the  agriculture. 
They  have  no  notion  of  a  Supreme  Being,  but  are 
exceedingly  superstitious  in  respect  to  witches,  spir- 
its, and  the  shades  of  their  ancestors.  The  mission- 
ary labors  of  more  than   forty  years  have  made  no 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  439 

perceptible  impression  upon  this  stalwart  race  except 
those  who  live  under  the  British  Colonial  govern- 
ment, and  these  have  only  been  partially  won  over 
to  civilization.  Caffre  women  are  described  as  su- 
perior in  beauty  to  the  other  native  races  of  South 
Africa.  Then,  and  farther  to  the  left,  still  looking 
northward,  we  have  the  Bushmen,  who  are  described 
by  Livingstone  as  true  nomads.  Then  we  come 
to  the  Griquas,  an  independent  people  north  of  the 
Orange  river.  By  Griquas  is  meant  any  mixed  race 
sprung  from  natives  and  Europeans.  These  are 
of  Dutch  extraction  through  association  with  Hotten- 
tot and  Bushwomen.  Many  of  these  have  adopted 
Christianity.  The  human  inhabitants  of  the  Kala- 
hari Desert  are  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari,  the  former 
supposed  to  be  the  aborigines  of  Southern  Africa, 
the  latter  the  remnants  of  the  first  emigration  of 
Bakwains.  Both  of  these  singular  people  are  pos- 
sessed of  an  intense  love  of  liberty,  but  the  Bushmen 
live  almost  exclusively  on  wild  animals,  while  the 
Bakalahari  have  an  irrepressible  love  of  flocks  of  do- 
mestic animals.  They  procure  a  precarious  exisfence 
over  the  dry  expanse  of  Kalahari.  East  of  the  Des- 
ert are  the  Bakwains,  among  whom  Moffat  and  Liv- 
ingstone labored.  These,  numbering  many  different 
tribes,  inhabit  a  large  portion  of  Southern  Africa, 
and  by  their  migrations  under  Sebituane,  have  for 
a  number  of  years  also  held  a  vast  territory  on  the 
Chobe  and  Zambesi  rivers,  north  of  Lake  Ngami. 
Many  of  the  Southern  tribes  have  embraced  Chris- 
tianity and  all  are  noted  for  intelligence  and  the  de- 
sire of  progress.     Between  the  Southern  Bechuanas 


440  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

and  their  relatives  the  Makololo  are  the  Bamangwato 
and  the  Bayeiye,  the  latter  "  the  Quakers  of  Africa," 
who  do  not  believe  in  fighting.  The  former  are  suf- 
ficiently savage  and  indolent.  They  live  round 
about  Lake  Ngami.  To  the  westward  of  Kalahari 
and  as  far  northward  as  the  country  under  Por- 
tuguese dominion  we  observe  a  region  possessing 
many  fertile  tracts.  A  wide  expanse  is  called  Nam- 
aqua  Land,  and  is  sparsely  inhabited  by  Hotten- 
tots among  whom  live  a  few  Dutch.  Northward  of 
these  are  the  Damaras,  whose  domains  extend  far 
into  the  interior,  but  of  whom  little  is  known.  Far 
up  the  east  coast  extends  the  country  of  Mozambique, 
long  known  to  geography.  Near  the  middle  of  this 
country  the  waters  of  the  Zambesi  empty  into  the 
Indian  ocean.  Far  up  this  stream  we  find  many 
tribes  of  ignorant  men,  all  polygamous,  but  none,  un- 
til we  reach  the  watershed  of  central  South  Africa, 
devoted  to  disgusting  fetiches.  There,  where  the 
country  is  for  a  vast  distance  an  immense  flat,  with  a 
river,  part  of  whose  sluggish  waters  seek  outlet  in  the 
Atlantic  and  part  in  the  Indian  ocean,  we  see  negroes 
of  the  most  savage  nature  and  the  most  degrading 
superstitions.  And  as  we  cast  our  vision  westward 
toward  the  Portuguese  colony  of  Angola,  we  find  them 
becoming  more  and  more  degraded,  through  the  im- 
mense territory  of  the  Balonda,  until  we  reach  the 
magnificent  valley  of  the  Quango,  and  begin  to  per- 
ceive the  beneficent  effects  of  civilization,  even  though 
its  representatives  have  not  been  of  the  best.  We 
shall  look  in  vain  over  the  whole  expanse  of  Lower 
Guinea  for  notable  prospects  cheering  to  the  cause  of 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  44 1 

man's  advancement.  Then  extending  our  vision 
northward  and  eastward  over  what  may  for  conveni- 
ence sake  be  called  the  equatorial  region  of  Africa, 
we  shall  observe  great  lakes  and  rivers  on  the  east, 
the  lakes  scarcely  less  great  in  surface  extent  than 
those  of  interior  North  America,  while  at  the  west 
we  perceive  extensive  rivers,  and  immense  forests. 
Here  the  nobler  wild  animals  do  not  live,  but  repul- 
sive apes  and  cannibals  possess  the  gloomy  shade  of 
the  vast  wilderness.  Near  the  eastern  portion  of  this 
expanse  the  great  explorer  of  Africa  is  at  this  time 
engaged  in  traversing  that  now  most  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  globe  whence  spring  the  sources  of  the 
Nile.  Still  farther  north,  and  extending  nearly  across 
the  continent,  we  see  an  immense  territory  crowded 
with  a  commercial,  trading  people,  whose  cities  have 
been  noted  for  ages  through  the  reports  of  caravans 
which  have  brought  their  goods  and  gold  across  the 
great  desert  to  the  Mediterranean  sea.  On  the  right 
of  the  desert  we  find  Abyssinia,  Nubia,  and  Egypt. 
The  desert  itself  is  seen  to  have  many  oases,  stately 
mountains,  and  in  places  a  growth  of  singular  trees. 
Its  caravans  are  sometimes  submerged  by  the  terrible 
simoon  ;  but  the  robbers  of  the  desert  are  more  cruel 
and  i instructive  than  the  winds  and  sands.  On  the 
north  of  Sahara  we  see  the  countries  bordering  on 
the  Mediterranean,  where  in  ancient  times  the  great 
rival  of  Rome  exercised  supreme  authority,  which 
was  doubtless  wrested  from  Carthage  in  a  calamity 
to  mankind.  To  the  westward  of  this  famous  seat  of 
ancient  empire,  the  French  now  have  a  numerous  and 
prosperous  colony.     Still  farther  westward  and  look- 


442 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 


ing  out  upon  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  live  the  rem- 
nants of  that  singular  people  who  once  possessed  a 
large  part  of  Spain,  and  whose  melancholy  fate  has 
been  rendered  wonderfully  interesting  to  the  intelli- 
gent of  all  lands  by  the  great  and  tender  genius  of 
our  American  Irving.  The  descendants  of  the  old 
possessors  of  Granada,  the  builders  of  the  Alhambra, 
may  now  be  found  in  northwestern  Africa,  and  pen- 
etrating deeply  into  the  regions  of  the  Desert,  with 
little  to  suggest  the  ancient  taste,  and  culture,  and 
warlike  prowess.  With  the  exception  of  Liberia,  and 
the  English,  Portuguese,  Dutch,  and  French  colonies, 
and  of  late  some  of  the  Backwains  who  have  become 
Christianized,  the  people  of  whom  we  are  taking  this 
rapid  view  are  devoted  to  polygamy.  As  it  exists 
throughout  nearly  the  whole  of  the  vast  continent  it 
is  both  a  social  and  a  political  institution.  Of  all 
these  people,  perhaps  those  only  who  are  actually 
progressive  are  the  Bakwains,  under  Sechele,  the  Ma- 
kololo,  under  Sekeletu,  successor  to  the  greatest  of 
South  African  chieftains,  Sebituane,  some  of  the  col- 
onists of  extreme  South  Africa,  and  a  province  or  two 
of  central  West  Africa. 

Confining  our  view  now  to  the  physical  aspect  of 
Africa,  we  perceive  that  the  four  great  rivers  are  the 
Nile,  the  Zambesi,  the  Quango,  or  Congo,  and  the 
Niger.  The  Orange  river  of  the  south  is  of  less  mag- 
nitude, as  is  the  Senegal  of  the  west.  Of  these,  the 
Nile  is  the  greatest  and  most  interesting,  the  most 
interesting  river,  perhaps,  of  the  world.  The  Niger 
drains  much  of  western  and  central  Africa,  and  with 
its  affluents  forms  a  system  of  drainage  for  an  im- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  443 

mense  empire.  The  Quango  is  the  principal  river  of 
central  South  Africa,  but  between  it  and  the  Niger 
are  the  Gaboon  and  the  Fernand  Vas  with  their 
many  affluents.  The  Zambesi  is  seen  to  drain  a  re- 
gion many  times  larger  than  Great  Britain.  The 
Orange,  with  its  affluents  is  at  least  equal  to  the 
Ohio  in  the  United  States.  All  these  rivers,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Nile,  force  their  way  through 
mountains  which  reach  in  almost  unbroken  range 
around  the  continent  from  Abyssinia  southwestward 
to  Cape  Colony,  then  northwestward  to  Senegambia, 
whence  they  shoot  off  in  broken  fragments  over  the 
Desert  of  Sahara. 

The  northern  half  of  Africa  is  chiefly  Mohamme- 
dan, the  southern  half  chiefly  pagan.  In  the  north 
we  have  sheikhs,  khedives,  sultans,  harems,  intrigues, 
treachery,  vindictivenes,  and  tortures.  In  the  south 
we  have  man-eating,  superstitions,  fetiches,  degrada- 
tion, but,  unquestionably  as  I  think,  very  much  less 
of  man's  inhumanity  to  man.  North  and  south,  ex- 
cept where  the  English  have  control,  domestic  slavery 
exists  in  its  most  cruel  forms,  but  nowhere  in  the 
world  has  it  ever  existed,  perhaps,  in  such  monstrous 
shape  of  iniquity  as  in  central  Africa  under  the  rule 
of  Islamism.  Dr.  Barth  accompanied  the  sheikh  of 
Bornoo  on  a  predatory  (slave-catching)  expedition 
into  the  Musgu  country  on  one  occasion.  He  thus 
relates  the  principal  business  of  a  single  day : 

"  The  village  we  had  just  reached  was  named  Ka- 
kala,  and  is  one  of  the  most  considerable  places  in 
the  Musgu  country.  A  large  number  of  slaves  had 
been  caught  this  day,  and  in  the  course  of  the  eve- 


444  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

ning,  after  some  skirmishing,  in  which  three  Bornoo 
horsemen  were  killed,  a  great  many  more  were  brought 
in  ;  altogether  they  were  said  to  have  taken  one  thou- 
sand, and  there  were  certainly  not  less  than  five  hun- 
dred. To  our  utmost  horror,  not  less  than  one 
hundred  and  seventy  full-grown  men  were  merci- 
lessly slaughtered  in  cold  blood,  the  greater  part  of 
them  being  allowed  to  bleed  to  death,  a  leg  having 
been  severed  from  the  body." 

The  number  of  "  slaves"  (that  is,  free  persons  cap- 
tured) on  this  expedition  was  about  4,000,  of  whom 
nearly  1,000,  being  full-grown  men,  were  disposed  of 
in  the  horrible  manner  above  described. 

— Those  who  have  read  the  preceding  pages  can 
hardly  help  arriving  at  the  conclusion  that  the  capabil- 
ities and  the  wants  of  Africa  are  very  great.  Leaving 
out  those  portions  of  the  continent  which  were  known 
when  Dr.  Livingstone  first  reached  South  Africa,  we 
find  that  there  have  since  been  discovered  lakes, 
rivers,  mountains,  regions  abounding  in  precious 
stones  and  metals,  vast  fertile  plains,  forests  rich  in 
valuable  trees  and  vines,  animals  producing  rare  arti- 
cles of  commerce,  peoples  rude  indeed  and  degraded, 
but  neither  cruel  by  nature,  vindictive,  nor  revenge- 
ful. Many  of  them  are  magnificent  specimens  of 
mankind,  so  far  as  physical  nature  is  concerned,  while 
a  great  majority  of  them  are  far  above  that  which  is 
too  generally  considered  the  typical  African.  They 
are  by  no  means  wanting  in  intellectual  powers ;  and 
their  almost  universal  love  of  children  must  be  re- 
garded as  a  most  admirable  and  redeeming  trait. 
Even  the  cannibals  of  the  equatorial  regions  are  un- 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  445 

questionably  less  cruel  and  infinitely  less  treacherous 
than  the  Mohammedans  of  north  Central  Africa, 
while  the  numerous  tribes  of  Bakwains  and  Mako- 
lolo  are  for  the  most  part  by  nature  gentlemen  ; 
brave,  magnanimous,  and  reasonable.  The  Bakala- 
hari  are  a  pastoral  people;  and  those  who  are  fond 
of  both  children  and  flocks  cannot  be  irreclaimably 
depraved.  Over  a  large  part  of  South  Africa,  idola- 
try is  unknown;  and  skepticism  is  a  much  less  pow- 
erful antagonist  of  Christian  civilization  than  fetiches. 

These  people  have  many  navigable  rivers,  vast  ex- 
tents of  arable  lands,  large  numbers  of  domestic  ani- 
mals, and  some  of  them  are  wonderfully  skilful  in  the 
manufacture  of  certain  fabrics  and  tools.  Perhaps  it 
is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  the  Fans  (cannibals) 
of  equatorial  Africa  are  the  best  blacksmiths  in  the 
world. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  many  of  these  peo- 
ple would  have  adopted  Christian  civilization  before 
this  time  but  for  polygamy.  As  has  been  said  a  mo- 
ment ago  this  is  both  a  social  and  political  institution. 
The  more  wives  a  chief  has  the  more  fathers-in-law, 
the  more  friends,  and  consequently  the  more  influ- 
ence. We  have  seen  how  this  long  kept  the  chief 
Sechele  from  espousing  Christianity.  It  appeared  to 
his  generous  nature  like  a  cruelty  to  return  his  super- 
numerary "  wives."  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  any  gen- 
eral progress  can  be  made  toward  the  adoption  of 
Christian  civilization  by  these  people  until  this  insti- 
tution shall  have  been  destroyed. 

The  abolition  of  domestic  slavery  is  one  of  the 
greatest  wants  of  the  continent.     In  no  part  of  pagan 


446  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

Africa  is  this  inhuman  system  upheld  by  such  bar- 
barous practices  as  in  many  large  portions  under  the 
sway  of  Islamism.  In  pagan  Africa  the  captives  of 
war  are  made  slaves,  but  the  adult  males  are  not 
mangled  and  slain.  Throughout  a  great  extent  of 
Mohammedan  Africa  the  system  of  slavery  is  upheld 
by  nameless  atrocities  in  gratification  of  the  terrible 
cruelty  and  scarcely  less  terrible  lust  of  the  most 
cruel  and  lustful  people.  The  legend  of  Legree  in 
Mrs.  Stowe's  celebrated  novel  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cab- 
in" is  a  pleasant  fable  in  comparison  of  many  acts 
pertaining  to  African  domestic  slavery  of  which 
truthful  accounts  might  be  given.  It  might  appeal 
that  time  is  necessary  to  prepare  a  people  so  cruel 
for  the  reception  of  Christian  civilization.  The  Boers 
of  South  Africa  are  exceedingly  hard  task-masters 
with  their  slaves,  compelling  them  to  do  a  great  deal 
of  hard  labor  and  drudgery,  but  they  have  not  been 
charged  with  blood-thirstiness. 

This  wide-spread  system  of  domestic  slavery  is,  of 
course,  an  important  ally  of  the  foreign  slave  trade 
but  the  slave  trade  is  in  some  respects  a  wrong  and 
unutterable  woe  of  itself.  There  is  a  certain  introna- 
tional  slave  trade,  if  we  may  so  speak,  in  Africa, 
carried  on  between  tribes  which  are  independent  of 
each  other.  The  importance  of  a  chief  is  often  esti- 
mated by  the  number  of  his  slaves  and  wives.  Now 
that  the  recent  exploration^  of  white  men  have  made 
intercourse  between  tribes  of  more  frequent  occur- 
rence than  formerly,  a  rude  diplomacy  has  sprung 
up,  which  is  chiefly  exercised  in  matters  pertaining 
to   slaves    and    the  purchase    of   wives.      A    chief 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  447 

strengthens  himself  at  home  by  marrying  as  many  of 
the  daughters  of  his  "  head  men"  as  he  can,  and  among 
other  tribes  by  the  same  course  among  them.  A 
large  number  of  slaves  adds  to  the  consideration  in 
which  he  is  held  at  home  and  abroad.  Thus  polyg- 
amy, domestic  slavery,  and  the  foreign  slave  trade 
are  the  great  obstacles  which  stand  in  the  way  of 
civilizing  the  continent  of  the  black  man.  And  of 
these  the  greatest  obstacle  is  the  foreign  slave  trade. 
This,  not  only  because  of  its  own  cruelty,  fearful 
wrongfulness,  and  hideous  practices,  but  because  it 
gives  the  black  man  a  fairly  unanswerable  practical 
argument  against  civilization.  Dr.  Livingstone  ex- 
pressly tells  us,  in  letters  which  we  have  quoted,  that 
the  practices  of  the  slave-traders  are  more  horrible 
and  cruel  than  even  those  of  the  man-eating  Man- 
yema.  Is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  natives  of  Africa 
will  adopt  a  system  which,  so  far  as  they  see,  is  more 
cruel  than  the  most  horrible  customs  of  their  most 
degraded  tribes?  Those  Africans  only  who  have  to 
any  considerable  extent  adopted  Christain  civilization 
live  at  the  greatest  distance  from  the  scenes  of  the 
foreign  slave  trade. 

The  first  great  want  of  Africa,  therefore,  is  the 
suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  This  has  been  to 
great  extent  accomplished  on  the  West  Coast.  It 
has  not  been  accomplished  on  the  East  Coast  because 
of  the  neglect  of  the  British  government.  Not  long 
since  Zanzibar  was  visited  by  a  terrible  hurricane, 
whose  destructive  fury  laid  waste  its  shipping,  its 
houses,  and  scattered  death  and  desolation  over  a 
wide   expanse.     The   affliction   was  very  great,  and 


44-8  EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA. 

grievous  to  be  borne.  The  slave  trade  of  Zanzibar  is 
almost  infinitely  more  cruel  than  the  remorseless  ele- 
ments. Its  speedy  suppression  is  demanded  by  the 
united  cries  of  Christianity  and  humanity.  It  is  the 
undoubted  duty  of  the  government  of  Great  Britain 
to  heed  this  demand,  and  put  an  end  to  the  woes 
which  exist  through  the  cupidity  of  British  sub- 
jects and  the  inefficiency  of  British  officials  at  Zan- 
zibar. 

The  other  great  wants  of  Africa  are  the  abolition 
of  domestic  slavery  and  the  destruction  of  the  system 
of  polygamy.  To  accomplish  these  great  objects  will 
be  no  easy  achievement,  nor  one,  it  is  believed,  which 
can  be  speedily  brought  about.  It  certainly  can  be 
done  the  more  easily  and  the  more  speedily  after  the 
suppression  of  the  foreign  slave  trade.  Until  that  be 
done,  it  is  simply  impossible.  That  having  first  been 
brought  about,  the  national  characteristic  of  all  Afri- 
can peoples  will  be  found,  it  is  confidently  believed,  to 
form  an  element  of  vast  power  in  bringing  the  conti- 
nent under  the  sway  of  civilization.  That  characteris- 
tic is  the  love  of  trade.  It  is  another  of  the  singular 
anomalies  of  this  division  of  the  world,  that  while  it 
is,  upon  the  whole,  the  least  commercial  of  all,  the 
people  are  natural  traders.  They  are  universally 
fond  of  barter.  This  may  be  called  the  African  idio- 
syncrasy. Taking  advantage  of  it,  with  his  inculca- 
tions of  religious  truth,  Dr.  Livingstone's  labors  at 
the  time  and  afterwards  were  crowned  with  magnifi- 
cent success.  Those  of  his  co-laborers  who  have  suc- 
ceeded have  pursued  the  same  plan.  Thus  through- 
out a  vast  expanse  have  slavery  and  polygamy  passed 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    AFRICA.  449 

away,  and  the  institutions  of  Christian  civilization 
been  adopted  in  their  stead  by  a  people  naturally  in- 
telligent, progressive,  and  brave. 

Christianity  and  modern  journalism  ought,  there- 
fore, to  unite  in  urging  commerce  to  clasp  hands  with 
religion  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  common  triumph 
for  trade  and  civilization  over  the  vast  continent 
much  of  which  has  so  long  sat  in  darkness.  There, 
surely,  are  the  foundations  upon  which  a  mighty 
commerce  may  be  built ;  there,  beyond  question,  is  a 
vast  field  in  which  the  labors  of  Christian  propagan- 
dists have  much  to  engage  them,  and  much  to  en- 
courage great  zeal  and  self-denial.  Journalism  and 
Christianity  thus  succeeding  in  making  a  firm  and 
earnest  ally  of  Commerce,  cannot  help  leading  the 
way,  in  the  good  time  of  Heaven's  providence,  to 
most  gratifying  triumphs  of  civilization ;  so  that  the 
gloom  and  misery  of  centuries  shall  be  dispelled,  and 
even  Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto 
God. 


THE    END. 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

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